Bombs Away!
by Kate Manoso
Summary: Bombs, bombs, and more bombs. Just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters are owned by JE. The story is mine.

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Have you ever felt the need to belt out a line or two of a song at a completely inappropriate time? I'm suffering from this strange phenomenon right now.

"There's nothing wrong with me lovin' you. Givin' yourself to me can never be wrong, if your love is true," I sang. I don't have the greatest voice in the world, but I was really diggin' Marvin Gaye at the moment.

I was singing to no one in particular. There were several people running around me. Everyone doing one thing, or another. I was laying on the ground. I had landed here when my apartment building blew up about five minutes ago. I think that I may be suffering from some type of disorder. Songs keep on coming into my head. This may be some type of new defense mechanism for myself. I gave the paramedics a thumbs up that I was okay and they went on their way.

I could hear a deep laugh coming from my right. I looked over and saw Eddie Gazarra laughing at me. He's one of Trenton's finest and is married to my cousin, Shirley the whiner. He now lives vicariously through my misadventures and my stomach. Shirley always has him on a diet. I had already given him my statement and told him that the fire inspector should keep an eye out for bomb pieces in front of my apartment door.

"Well, I don't know why I came here tonight. I got a feelin' that something aint right. I so scared in case I fall off my chair. And I'm wonderin' how I'll get down the stairs. Clowns to the left of me. Jokers to the right. Here I am stuck in the middle with you. Yes, I'm stuck in the middle with you. And I'm wonderin' what it is I should do."

I was starting to wonder how long I could keep this up when I saw my reflection in a pair of mirrored sun glasses. I looked at my reflection instead of the man. I wiped some soot off of my face and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Are you done primping?"

"Yes. Do you think that you could give me a hand up?" I said as I held up my arm.

"Sure," he said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "Marin Gaye and Steelers Wheel?"

"Yep," I said with a smile. I turned at looked at the window that use to go to my apartment. "This isn't good, Santos."

"You're telling me."

"The tide is high, but I'm holding on. I'm gonna be your number one. I'm not that kind of girl who gives up just like that. Oh nooooooo!" I sang as I smiled and danced over to the black Bronco that was parked close by.

"I think that you've finally lost it, Bomber," Junior said with a smile as he watched me dance over to him.

"Nope. Everything's good," I said as I danced around him to the music in my head. I stopped dancing and looked at Junior. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Your GPS went off line. Tank called us because we were nearby. We came to check up on you. I'm gonna call Tank to let him know that you are okay. You are okay, right?" Junior asked.

"I'm fantastic," I said with a huge grin. "Tell Tank that I'm sorry. I dropped my purse when I was running out of the building. I'll get another GPS tracker from him when I get a new purse."

"Steph," Lester said getting my attention.

"Lester," I said turning towards him. I smiled at the tall man in front of me. He had chopped off his long blonde hair last week and now uses gel to spike it up. He had moved his sunglasses up so that he could clearly see my eyes to get a feel of how I really was. His bright green eyes looked deep into mine and I thought that he could see straight into my soul.

He was dressed in his usual RangeMan uniform. His tight black shirt showed off his broad shoulders and impressive torso. He has amazing rock hard pecks. I could just barely make out the eight pack of abs that ran down his stomach. His cargos hung low on his narrow hips. I know that he has a fantastic ass because I accidently walked in on him going to the bathroom. I immediately wanted to bite it. I still do.

"Rex," Lester said bringing me back to reality.

"Rex is at school with one of my nieces. She took him to school for show and tell," I said as I started to dance around again.

"What's going on Steph?" Lester asked as he grabbed my shoulders to keep me still.

"I had an epiphany as I ran down the stairs. I'm done with Joe and Ranger. They can have each other."

"You decided this while you were running for your life?"

"Yep. I realized while I was laying on the ground that I'm okay with it. Joe wants me to be a Burg wife and Ranger won't commit. I'm never going to be a Burg wife and I'd like to get married some day. So… I need to find a new man. Someone who likes me for who I am and won't be afraid to marry me."

"You just came to this conclusion?" Lester asked.

"Yep," I said as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. "I need Lula."

I dialed her number and danced around as I waited for her to pick up.

"What's up white girl?" Lula said when she answered her phone.

"We need to go out tonight. We need alcohol and dancing."

"Sounds good."

"I'll pick you up at eight."

"Cool."

I hung up my phone and turned to Junior as he walked back over to me and Lester. He was smiling. Junior never really fits in as a Merry Man. He always looks like he just walked out of the ghetto. My Hispanic Merry Man had a lot of tattoos. He has dark brown eyes and a Mr. Clean shaved head. I found out a couple of months ago that he uses Nair. His six foot frame is lean and hard. Muscles on top of muscles.

"You guys wanna go out with us tonight?" I asked.

Lester and Junior looked at each other. I watched as Lester leaned over and whispered something into Junior's ear. Junior's smile broadened and he nodded his head affirmatively.

"We're in," Lester said. "Call me later and let me know where you guys end up."

"Okay," I said.

"Tank said that you could crash on the fourth floor if you need to," Junior said.

"Cool. Tell him I'll see him in a bit," I said as I turned and made my way to my car.

I climbed into my car and headed out. I needed to go shopping. Luckily, I had picked up a few high end skips in the past few weeks. I had roughly thirty grand in my bank account. Plenty of money to get a whole new wardrobe.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. This is not a Babe fic. I love Ranger, but I have a better time using the Merry Men. This one's for Adalind. She pushed me in this direction. Even if it seems that this chapter is going no where, I promise that the story is moving in a specific direction._

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I did pretty good at the mall. I got the usual stuff. Socks, underwear, bras, shoes, jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops. Plus, I got this really hot black dress for tonight. Slut shoes to go with. I had dropped my bags in the hall on the fourth floor and then made my way up to the control room. I was feeling fantastic when I made my way over to Tank. He was doing some monitoring. I walked up to the side of his chair and leaned over to see what he was looking at.

I stood there for a moment and tried to seem interested in the screens. The only problem was that nothing was happening. I looked over at Tank. The look in his dark brown eyes did me in. He was concerned about me. I felt the tears start to burn the back of my eyes. How it is that this emotionally void man had just broken me, I will never know. The only thing that I do know, is that as soon as the tears had started to fall down my cheeks, I found myself curled up in Tank's lap.

"It's okay, Steph," Tank whispered in my ear as he held me close. "You're safe now."

I would never doubt that for a minute while I was in his presence. Tank exuded safety. The day had finally crashed in on me. I almost died. I told Joe to take a flying leap while I was shopping. I left Ranger a 'Call me' message. Then ten minutes late I left him a 'No more poaching' message. I may not have a man at the moment, but if the black dress that I just bought did what I intended it to do, I would have one by the time he got back from killing some drug lord in some small third would country in South America.

I stayed in Tank's lap. He had carried on several conversations via cell phone. It was business as usual for Tank. Even with me crying in his lap. At some point, I had totally drained myself and fell asleep. His deep voice and slowly beating heart had put my in a trance and knocked me out. I remember being carried down to the fourth floor and hearing Tank whisper in my ear as he laid me down.

"Get some rest, Steph. You're safe here."

The deep voice reassuring my safety let me fall back into a deep sleep. I'm not sure how long I had slept for. When I woke up, I felt like I had one purpose. Pay backs are a bitch when you blow up a woman's apartment. I really needed to find out who I pissed off this time. I went in the bathroom to check my reflection. _YIKES!_ A shower would be the only thing that could help me right now. I looked down at my watch. Five p.m. Probably should just get ready for clubbing. The bomber was getting put on the back burner for a little while.

I scrubbed, shaved, moisturized, shampooed, and conditioned. Thirty minutes later, I stepped out of the shower. It takes time to do everything right. I did the big hair thing and threw on some make-up. I was going for sultry tonight. That's the type of slutty dress I got. I put my dress and shoes on and took a good look in the mirror.

I have to say that I've out done myself. The dress really is perfect. It starts a little above mid thigh with a flare out. Then slowly tapers in as the dress goes up to my hips. That's where the back stops. The front comes up in one piece to tie around my neck. The pieces that you tie together are long and hang down my back about half way. The front neck line scoops down to reveal a tasteful amount of cleavage.

I smiled at my reflection. I was looking hot. I checked my watch that I had set on the bathroom counter. Six thirty. Enough time to check in with Tank before heading out to get Lula. I turned off all of the lights and walked out into the hall. I could hear music coming from Lester's room as I shut my door. I walked over and placed my ear to his door.

Nine Inch Nails.

I smiled to myself. That seemed so much like Lester. I slowly opened the door and stuck my head in. I watched as Lester danced in front of his closet in his boxers. The sight of him was enough to make my mouth water. He was looking through his shirts trying to figure out what to wear. He finally picked one out and whirled around as he put it on. He flashed a crooked smile as he spotted me at the door.

"You still want to go out, right?" he asked after he turned the music off.

"What do you think?" I asked as I opened the door further so that I could walk in.

"Damn!" Lester shouted. "You're gonna need a baseball bat to keep the guys off of you tonight."

"That's what I was aiming for," I said with a wicked smile. "I was wondering if you could hold my cash for me tonight. I forgot to get a purse while I was shopping."

"Sure," Lester said as he walked over to take the cash that I was holding out. He smiled down at me as he slid the money out of my hand. He leaned on the counter next to me and whispered as he ran a finger up my arm. "You really do look hot tonight."

"Thanks, Lester," I said with a Burg eye roll and started backing out of his room. "I'm going to go check in with Tank and then I'm going to get Lula."

"Where are we going tonight?"

"I'll come back here after I get Lula and we can decide then."

"Cool. See you in a bit," Lester said and then shut his door.

I jumped in the elevator and rode it up one floor. I normally would have taken the stairs, but I don't think that walking up stairs would be a good idea in these heals. I made my way to the control room and froze when I walked in. Someone had put on _I'm Too Sexy _by Right Said Fred when I walked in. I knew it was Binkie. He had a huge grin plastered on his 'boy next door' face. Tank, Brett, Bobby, Ram, and Binkie were all staring at me with goofy grins.

I thought that maybe this would be a good time to warm up for a night of dancing, so I started dancing my way over to Binkie. He started to blush as I turned around and did a little booty shake for him. The rest of the guys started whooping and hollering. Except Tank. He just sat there with his head hung low laughing.

"Okay, guys," Tank shouted after the song ended. "Time to go back to work."

"You're no fun," Ram said as he turned his attention back to the screens in front of him.

"Have you heard who's after me this time?" I asked as I walked over to Tank.

"No one's claiming responsibility," Tank said. He handed me a silver brief case. "This is yours."

I took the brief case and sat it on his desk. I popped it open and took in the contents. There was a copy of my drivers license, birth certificate, a bank card, credit cards, a .45 Auto Ruger P345, and five magazines. I threw a questioning glance at Tank.

"Ranger had me put it together about six months ago. Your nick name is Bomber for a reason. It was only a matter of time before you got your purse blown up, too."

"How did you get all of this stuff without me knowing about it?" I asked as I closed the case.

"If I tell you-"

"I know! I know! You'll have to kill me! Get a new line. That one's getting old," I said as I picked up the case. "I'm taking your girlfriend out tonight. We're going dancing and we're going to get drunk. You should be there when she gets home."

"Take one of the guys with you."

"One step ahead. Lester and Junior are going with us," I said before I walked out the door.

I've got another crazy after me. I'm not about to go out clubbing without one of the Merry Men with me. Does Tank think that I'm that stupid? I took my case down to the fourth floor. I set it on the counter and opened it once more. I pulled out my license, birth certificate, bank card, and credit cards. I placed them on the counter next to the case. Ranger had some explaining to do.

I turned my attention to the gun. It was the exact same model that got blown up with my cookie jar. I had gotten the gun because it was light and I could easily take it apart to clean it without any tools. I actually love this style gun. Tank has one and let me try it out in the shooting gallery down stairs. I had spent about two weeks with Tank learning all that I could about the gun. Including maneuvers that may come in handy. I still didn't like carrying it, but I felt more comfortable.

I looked at the clock on the microwave. Seven fifteen. Guess I should go get Lula.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: JE owns them. I'm just playing.

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I almost had a heart attack when Lula walked out of her apartment building. She was wearing a red sequin dress that was five times to small. I was afraid that her watermelon size boobs were going to pop out of the top of her dress. As she approached my car, she had to tug down on the hem of her dress.

"Yeah, White Girl," Lula said as she climbed in. "Where are we going tonight?"

"I don't know. We're going to go back to RangeMan to get Lester and Junior. Then we'll decide where we're going," I said as I took off to go back to the building.

"Is it true?" Lula asked as I turned on Haywood Street.

"Is what true?" I asked.

"That your apartment building blew up and you broke up with Joe?"

"Yep."

"You gonna go after Batman?"

"Nope. I'm on the prowl tonight for a new man. Someone who will love me for who I am and won't be afraid to commit."

"Good luck."

"Look at my Lula," I said as I climbed out of my car in the RangeMan garage. I twirled around in the dress for her. "I'm gonna find me a man."

"With that dress you're gonna find a bunch."

I turned at the sound of the elevator dinging open. Lester and Junior walked out. Junior was wearing black slacks and a bright red short sleeve button down shirt. The shirt was open and showed a white under shirt beneath. Lester was wearing navy blue slacks and a white short sleeve button down silk shirt. His was unbuttoned like Junior.

"We're two very lucky ladies tonight," I said to Lula.

"No shit!"

"Where are we going?" I asked the guys as they walked over.

"A great place in North Trenton," Junior said.

"Who's car?"

"Mine," Lester said as he placed a hand on my bare back and led me over to his red Jeep. I felt my blood start to boil by the contact of his hand. Not a normal reaction.

Lula and I climbed into the back of the Jeep. It was a tight fit, but we're girls and are not afraid to get close. Lester fired up the Jeep and zipped out of the garage. He just barely missed the bottom of the gate as it went up. Lester weaved us through traffic and came to an abrupt stop in front of a club called _Salsa_.

"Are you kidding?" I asked Junior.

"Come on, Steph. This place is great!"

"I don't know how to dance to salsa music!"

"Come on, Whitey! How bad can it be? I think that this might be fun," Lula said as she climbed out of the back of the Jeep.

"I can show you how to do some of the dances," Junior said as he took my hand to help me out of the Jeep. "If you hate it after an hour, then we'll leave."

"Promise?"

"Ranger's Honor," Junior said with a salute.

I laughed and let Junior lead me into the club. It wasn't that busy because it was a Wednesday night. There weren't to many people on the dance floor. Lester headed to the bar with Lula and Junior pulled me out on the dance floor.

"This is really easy, Steph. Just watch my feet."

He stood next to me and started moving. It seemed like they were easy steps that you spruced up with hip and arm movements. Before I knew it, Junior had me dancing all over the dance floor. I hadn't even noticed that he was keeping men at bay. I guess Junior can be a little intimidating. I like to think of him as my Latino God of Dancing. He had an amazing ability to make dancing an intimate experience.

Junior spun me around and smoothly transferred me to Lester as he transferred Lula to Junior. I smiled up at my new dance partner. He moved just like Junior. Very fluid. Extremely sexy. His bright green eyes had turned slightly dark.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Lester asked as he pulled me close for a slow song.

"I love this place. Junior is an amazing dance teacher."

"I taught him everything that I know."

"What?"

"I brought Junior here about two years ago," Lester said with a crooked smile. "We've been coming back at least once a week ever since."

"Oh, yeah?" I said with a smile.

"It's all my fault. Hispanic woman have great asses and hips. They really know how to dance and I loooooove dancing."

"Maybe I should try to find myself one of these great Latin woman. Maybe I've been batting for the wrong team my whole life," I said with a laugh.

I heard my phone go off in Lester's pocket. I reached in and grabbed it. Lester's eyebrows rose and a wide smile appeared on his lips. I stuck my tongue out playfully and looked down at my phone as I flipped it open. One new text message. I hit the button to read the message.

_BOOM!_

"I think that we should go now," I said to Lester as I held up my phone to his face.

I watched as he changed from Party Lester to Merry Man Lester. The transformation was immediate.

"Junior!" Lester shouted over the music. "Bounce!"

I turned and saw Junior grab Lula and head for the door. Lester took my hand and pulled me in the same direction. Lester hit the remote start to his Jeep as we ran towards it. A split second later, I saw a spark come from the undercarriage.

KABOOM!

I staggered back as the Jeep bounced up in the air. It crashed to the ground engulfed in flames. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Junior was already on his phone and pulling Lula back. I took Lester's arm and pulled him back. There could be a second explosion from the gas tank. At least that was my experience.

Lester pulled me into his arms and took my phone. He placed it back in his pocket. I knew that he would look into the message and then program one of the computers at RangeMan to monitor all calls and messages.

"You're shaking," Lester whispered in my ear.

"I hadn't noticed," I whispered as I snuggled into him and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry about your Jeep."

"I can buy a new one. I didn't really like the color anyway," he said with a small laugh.

"You're full of shit. You loved that Jeep. I saw it on your face while you were driving."

I heard the sirens from the fire trucks as they pulled up. Lester slowly backed us up. He kept his arms around me as he guided us up to the side of the building. I stood between his legs as he leaned against the building. He pulled my head back down to his chest and laid his cheek on my hair. His left hand started rubbing circles along my neck. I felt myself melt into him. I wanted to purr.

I could hear Junior next to us talking on his cell phone. He didn't sound to happy. I could tell that he was talking to Tank. He gave him a small briefing over the phone on what happened. Lester told them about the text on my phone. Junior told Tank that we were all a little shaken up, but other wise fine.

"Tank should be here momentarily," Junior said when he hung up his phone.

"I'll get him to give me a ride home, Steph. You've had a long day," Lula said as she rubbed my shoulder.

"Thanks, Lula," I said as I felt myself start to crash from the adrenaline.

"Bobby can get you back to RangeMan when he gets here," Junior said as he leaned against the wall next to Lester.

I felt Lester's arms tighten around me. I snuggled closer into him, thinking that he was just trying to pull me closer. Then I heard the approaching foot steps. My heart started to sink. I recognized those foot steps.

"Cupcake."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: As always…JE owns the characters.

_A/N: Kahlua Mudslide? Check. Cigarettes? Check. Finish reading Twilight in one day? Check. Outraged at the fact that I have to go find New Moon tomorrow? Check. Raging Hormones? Check._

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Last night, that voice saying that one word had brought on an intense orgasm. Tonight, that same voice saying that same one word sent chills down my spine. I didn't have to look at Joe Morelli to know that he was mad. After all, I had broken things off with him less then twelve hours ago. It probably didn't look to good that I was already in the arms of another man. Let alone that man being one of Ranger's men.

I pulled back and looked up at Lester. I gave him a small smile and pulled the rest of the way out of him warm arms. Lester gave me a weak smile as he released me. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn't place. He quickly turned his attention to the man that had approached us. I watched as his face hardened.

I slowly turned at looked at Joe. He had his cop face on. When I looked him in the eye, he had let some of his control slip and I saw a flash of grief. I decided to let that got for the time being.

"Joe," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Two bombs in one day. Is that a new record?"

"No. I'm afraid it's not. It's not really any of your concern now."

"The burning Jeep?" He said as he pointed over his shoulder at the pile of smoldering metal.

"Not mine," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black Bronco pull up. I turned slightly and saw that Bobby was behind the wheel. "My ride is here. I believe that you may want to talk to Lester. It was his Jeep."

I turned to walk over to the Bronco. I felt a hand grab my elbow. I looked at the hand and then looked over my shoulder. Joe was towering behind me. He tried to pull me back, but I used a quick maneuver that Tank had taught me. I was free in an instant.

"We aren't finished talking, Cupcake."

"First," I said as I felt my anger creep up, "don't call me 'Cupcake'. Second, I don't have anything to say to you right now. You have a job. Now go do it."

"I plan on it. I'm putting you in a safe house," he said as he grabbed my arm again.

"I don't need a safe house," I hissed through gritted teeth as I wrenched my arm out of his grasp. "I'll be perfectly fine where I'm staying right now."

"Where? RangeMan?"

"Yes."

"On the seventh floor?" Joe asked as anger flashed in his eyes.

"Not that it's any of you business… but no, I have my own apartment on the fourth floor."

"That's just great! Now you're definitely surrounded by lunatics!"

"Urg!" I shouted. "And you wonder why I left. They are my friends, Joe. Get over it!"

"They've brain washed you!" Joe shouted. "They're only around you because they have orders. They are not your friends. You need to be careful."

"You have it all wrong! They are always there to help me! Where were you this morning? Lester and Junior were at my apartment five minutes after the explosion," I shouted as I pointed to Lester. "Do you see my friends locking me up in a safe house?"

"Not at the moment. But I wouldn't put it past Tank. Lord only knows that he's definitely going to have to call Ranger now. I'll bet he's here in the morning to be Batman."

"You never could stand it that I always went to him for help, could you?"

"You should have come to me for help. How do you think it made me feel to know that my own girlfriend always went to someone else for help?"

"I go to Ranger because he always helps. You always want to lock me up. I can't hide every time I have a stalker!"

"This is beyond stalking!" Joe shouted as he pointed at the Jeep once more. "Someone is trying to kill you!"

"Then you of all people should understand why I've yet again turned to someone else for help. This conversation is over. Good bye, Joe."

I whirled around and made the rest of the way over to the Bronco. Bobby had gotten out of the Bronco during my confrontation with Joe. He had a hard look in his eyes. He opened the door for me and helped me in. I watched as he shut the door and walked around to climb in behind the wheel. I fumbled with the seat belt. My hands had started to shake again and I let out a frustrated sigh when I couldn't get it to buckle.

"Let me, Steph," Bobby said in a soothing voice. I watched as he took the seat belt from my hand and effortlessly got me strapped in.

I remained silent as Bobby drove me back to RangeMan. I thought that I had gotten myself under control by the time that we got back to the garage. That illusion was quickly shattered when I tried to take my seat belt off. My hands wouldn't do what I wanted them to do. Bobby ended up assisting me once again.

I let him pull me out of the Bronco and walk me into the elevator.

I slowly settled into shock as we road up to the fourth floor. I hadn't planned on fighting with Joe. Much less in front of about thirty people who had come out of the club after the explosion. I'm quite sure that my mother's phone is ringing off the hook right now. Thank God Lester has my phone. I really didn't feel up to a fight right now.

Bobby ushered me into my apartment and turned on the lights. I stood frozen in the middle of the room. It was obvious that Ella had been in. All of my shopping bags were gone. There was a brand new black purse sitting on the counter in the small kitchen where the brief case had been sitting. I knew that she was just trying to make things easier, but I felt a little funny that someone had been in my room. I don't know how long I stood there staring blankly at my room.

"Are you okay?"

I turned and looked at Lester leaning against the door to my apartment. All I could do was stare at him. I felt completely numb. The fear that I had gone through today had taken every ounce of courage that I had. I couldn't move. My whole body was tense. I looked around my apartment and noticed that Bobby was gone. When did he leave?

"It's okay, Steph," Lester said as he slid an arm around my waist. "Let's see if we can get you to relax."

I let Lester lead my into the bathroom. He sat me down on the counter and turned the shower on. He tested the water several times before he was satisfied. I felt the temperature in the bathroom start to rise as steam rolled out of the shower. I hadn't even noticed that Lester had taken off my shoes. I didn't register anything until I realized that he was taking my necklace off. I watched as he placed the necklace in a small dish next to the sink. He slowly turned to me and removed my earrings as well. He placed them in the dish with my necklace.

"You're safe, Steph," Lester whispered.

I guess that he felt me tense as his hands came up around my neck. I finally got enough of my mind to work to realize that Lester was trying to get me undressed to get me in the shower.

"I think that I can do the rest," I whispered. I didn't trust my voice to speak any more then that.

"Okay," Lester said with a nod. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

I nodded and he walked out of the bathroom and shut the door. I mindlessly removed my clothes and got in the shower. I stood there for a moment while I got use to the water. It was a little warmer then I preferred, but I was feeling cold on the inside so I didn't adjust the temperature. I washed all of the hairspray and gel out of my hair. Then, I slowly washed my body while I let the conditioner sit in my hair. I thoroughly rinsed my body and hair and then stepped out of the shower.

I dried off and slipped into the tank top and shorts that I found sitting on the counter. They weren't there when I got in the shower. My only guess was that Lester had brought them in while I was washing up. I had never heard the door open. I brushed my hair and teeth and then left the warm confines of my bathroom.

"Do you feel any better?"

"I little less hazy," I said as I walked overto my bed and climbed in.

I watched as Lester started turning lights off. He walked over to my bed and sat on the edge. He smiled down at me and then tucked a stray curl behind my ear. I felt my heart rate jump and my skin hum where every he had touched me.

"I'm going to go. You can call my room by hitting four twice if you need me. Hal's also in his room," Lester said as he pointed to the wall behind my head. "He said that if you needed anything, just bang on the wall."

"I'll be okay," I whispered.

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. I think that he meant it to be a friendly gesture, but he had lingered a little too long. I instantly started analyzing the gesture after he slipped out of my room.

_It's just Lester._ Smart Stephanie said.

I sighed and rolled onto my side. It is just Lester. Forever the ladies man. He was probably just trying to be nice. Like he had been when he held me after _his_ Jeep exploded. I should probably try a little harder tomorrow to figure out who's trying to kill me now.

I drifted off into a deep sleep. The last thought that had registered in my mind had been of how it felt to be in Lester's arms. The security that I had felt carried into my dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

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I rolled out of bed at the ungodly hour of six. I'm not all that sure what had woken me up, but my eyes flew open and I knew that'd never be able to get back to sleep. I made some coffee and turned the TV on to CNN. I always did when Ranger was out of the country. I watched for a little while as I drank my coffee and ate a bagel. Ella had stocked my kitchen while I was out last night as well.

It was while I was watching TV that I had suddenly realized how calm I was. I hadn't woken up freaked out by the fact that someone was once again trying to kill me. Have I now become so use to this that I no longer felt scared? No. Because I was totally freaked out last night. Then why was I so calm now?

I pondered this while I threw on a sports bra and running shorts. I figured that since I was back at RangeMan, I should at least use the gym. I used the stairs trying to get my blood flowing. I found Tank and Ram in the gym. They both looked a little surprised to see me. Ram's surprise was quickly replaced with a large smile. I smiled back and gave a little finger wave.

I had stayed at RangeMan enough times to know how to use all of the equipment without assistance. I did the arm thing. Then, I did the leg thing. Then, I did the abs thing. I spent a little more time on my abs then I did my arms or legs. I decided that I should end my workout with a good run. By this time Brinkie and Brett had come in to start their workouts. They both smiled broadly at me as I climbed onto the treadmill.

I never liked running. The fact that someone came up with the idea of making a machine so that you didn't have to run outside was beyond me. I let my mind wonder while I was running. I still had no clue who was after me this time. I hadn't had any really big skips lately. I hadn't helped Ranger with anything lately either. This was starting to bug me. I hadn't even noticed that Lester was standing beside me until he touched my arm. He startled me so bad that I missed a step and got flung off of the treadmill. I, not to gracefully, fell hard on my ass.

"Shit! Sorry, Steph," Lester said as he pulled me up off the ground.

"You scared the crap out of me," I said as I rubbed my butt. "Did you need something?"

"No. Binkie was concerned because you've been running for forty five minutes straight."

"I was a little lost in thought. They may be why my legs now feel like rubber," I said as I walked over and sat in a chair over by the wall.

Lester walked over and sat on the floor in front of me. I watched as he started massaging my left leg. I soon found myself with my head leaning against the wall and my eyes closed. I was in heaven. I think that I might have let a small moan escape because I heard Lester softly chuckle. It was a low, deep sound that sent a wave of pleasure through my body.

I spent the next twenty minutes being pleasantly tortured by Lester's hands as he massaged my legs. If this is something that I'd get after every workout, then I'd definitely get my butt down here every day. Even if I had to run for forty five minutes. My blissful state was interrupted by Tank's voice.

"We have a meeting at eight."

I opened my eyes and looked at the clock on the far wall. Seven thirty. I guess Lester wasn't going to have enough time to get in his workout. Lester slowly stood up and offered me a hand for help up. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up.

"I guess I should get ready for my day anyway. When do you think that I can get my phone back?" I asked Lester as he shoved me into the elevator.

"I can get it to you at the meeting."

"I'm going to the meeting?"

"Yeah."

"Weird," I said as I reached my apartment door. "I guess I'll have to take a quick shower."

"Um, Steph?"

"Yeah, Lester," I said as I turned to look at him. He seemed a little nervous. "What?"

"I was asked to ask you that if you decide to workout in the gym with the rest of the guys…"

"Spit it out, Santos."

"Look, you were distracting the guys when you were running this morning. Please. I'm begging you. Wear a freaking t-shirt if you are going to run."

I guess I had a confused look on my face. I didn't understand why I needed to wear a t-shirt to run. Lester caught on to my confusion.

"The Ladies," he said as he pointed to my boobs, "tend to bounce a lot."

I felt my face start to burn. I hadn't even thought of that. They guys must have had quite a show today. God! How am I suppose to get through a meeting with them after running on that treadmill for almost an hour? I though as I started to rub my forehead.

"Steph," Lester said as he put a hand on my shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal. Tank was just worried that one of the guys might attack you. You have a small problem with not being aware of you surroundings."

"You're starting to sound more like Ranger."

"I take that as a severe insult," Lester said with a crooked smile. I love that smile.

"I'm going to go get ready. Tank wouldn't like it if I was late for the meeting," I said as I blindly reached back and opened my door.

Lester was still smiling down at me as I closed the door. The man was definitely getting weird. I quickly jumped into the shower and got dressed in record time. I poured some more coffee into a travel mug that said RangeMan on the side. Ella truly is crazy.

I was just glad that I wasn't the last person to get to the conference room on the fifth floor. Binkie strolled in right behind me. I took my seat and saw Lester lean over and whisper something in Binkie's ear. His eyes shot towards me and he turned bright red. Lester let out a bark of laughter. I'm not sure what Lester said to Binkie, but I was positive that it had something to do with the treadmill and the fact that we walked in together. I felt bad for Binkie that Lester had given him a hard time, but I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my lips as I looked at Binkie. This caused Lester to laugh even harder. I shot Lester a Burg glare in a failed attempt to silence him. Burg glares rarely worked on any of the Merry Men. It frustrated the hell out of me.

"Let's get started," Tank said as he took Ranger's seat at the head of the table. "Junior?"

"Not a whole lot. According to TPD, the bomb at Steph's apartment was on a timer. They didn't find a whole lot of the pieces, but they had enough to try to reconstruct it. Big Dig said that a ten year old could have made it. The Jeep was a lot more complicated. It was wired into the starter. That's why it blew with the remote start. This guy's crafty. He sent Steph the text to get her out of the club and into the jeep. Big Dog said that the bomb would have only taken about two minutes to install if the guy knows his way around a vehicle."

"Ram?" Tank said as he turned from Junior to look at Ram.

"I'm still trying to track down the source of the text message. It was generated from an e-mail account. I'm just having a hard time tracing it. I've gotten Steph's cell signal loaded into the control room. We'll be able to trace anything that comes across her line," Ram said as he slid my phone across the table to me.

"Can you listen in, too?" I asked.

"Yeah. But, we'll only listen for a few moments to make sure that it isn't the bomber," Ram said with a smile.

"Ram, call Miami. Get Silvio to give you a hand. I need a name before Ranger gets back. He's not happy."

"I'll call him once we're done," Ram said with a nod.

"Steph?" Tank said as he looked at me.

"Tank. I'm freaking clueless. I haven't had any high bonds lately. Ranger hasn't use my services in months," I said as I shot a glare at Lester. I had seen him start to shake out of the corner of my eye when I said 'services'. I turned back to Tank. "You know that I won't hide Tank. Even if Ranger comes back. I'll vest up and carry, but I refuse to hide. I'll even agree to take one of the guys out with me."

Tank leaned forward and slammed his big bald head on the conference table. Several times. I felt a little bad because I knew that the acid reflux was coming next. I had noticed about a year ago that Tank has a stress pattern. I'm safe until he gets up to sparing with three guys at the same time. We were currently only on step two on Tank's stress ladder.

"Okay," Tank said as he leaned back up. "Take Santos today."

I glared over at Lester's smiling face. He was loving this.

"Fine," I said as I turned back to Tank. "But, I get Junior tomorrow."

"Steph," Tank sighed exasperatedly.

"I like to rotate. I don't like getting stuck with the same guy everyday. It gets boring."

"Fine. Does anyone have anything else?"

No one said anything.

"Great. Get to work."

The office quickly emptied out and I looked over at Lester. It was going to be a long day.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: JE owns the Characters.

* * *

"Hey Whitey," Lula said as I cruised through the office door.

"Hey Lula. Hey Connie," I said as I stopped in front of Connie's desk. "Please tell me that you have something for me."

"Sorry, Steph. You've been on a rampage lately. The word is out and no one's skipping. Even Diggery showed up for court this morning," Connie said as she filled her nails.

"This is bad," I said as I walked over and sat on the tacky brown couch.

"Who's in the Bronco?" Lula asked as she peered out the window.

"Lester," I said as I dropped my head in my hands.

"Mmmmmmm. He's pretty yummy. Plus, he's a really good dancer," Lula said as she moved a little closer to the window to look at Lester.

"He's a wonderful dancer. So is Junior."

"Yeah. But Junior doesn't have the amazing green eyes."

"Or the crooked smile," I whispered.

"I heard that," Connie said accusingly. Then she sighed. "He does have an great smile."

I looked up to see Connie and Lula staring off into space as they fanned themselves with file folders. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. My friends have a hard time functioning when the topic of discussion is about any one of the Merry Men. Or Ranger for that matter.

"You really have nothing for me?" I asked getting Connie to snap out of her day dream.

"Sorry, Steph. I'll call you if anything comes in."

"Okay. I'll be at RangeMan," I said as I stood up and went to the door.

"Steph," Lula said, coming out of her day dream. "Be careful."

"I'll be alright, Lula. That's why I have Lester."

"I know," Lula said with a shrug.

I know Lula. She's not very comfortable with soft emotions. She's a good friend and I love her. I understand where she comes from. I have a hard time with my emotions, too.

"I'll call you later," I said with a big smile.

"That would be great!" Lula said smiling back.

I walked out of the office and went to the Bronco. Lester was smiling as I climbed in. He's always so damn happy. Always smiling. It's kind of freaky. It's like he has no other emotions. I wish I had that problem. I wish that I could stay in happy land all the time.

"Where to?" Lester asked as he pulled out into traffic.

"RangeMan."

"What?" Lester said frowning. Finally. Another emotion!

"Connie didn't have anything for me," I said with a shrug.

"That can't be right. We were suppose to have a day out of the office. I'm behind on paper work. If I go in now, I'll have to do it."

"Sorry, Lester. I'm not happy about it either. I'm not excited about going back and doing searches," I said with a scowl.

"Then let's not go back yet. There has to be something that you want to do. Come on, Steph. Don't you need to go shopping or something?" Lester said anxiously.

"You really don't want to go back, do you?" I said with a laugh.

"I'm begging you. I'll do what ever you want. I'll owe you big time, Steph," Lester pleaded. "Lunch. Dinner. Movie. Anything. You name it."

"I'm going to pocket the favor. Let's go to the mall. I guess we could shop for a bit."

"I owe you big. Just remember… The next time you need anything, Lester is your guy," Lester said with a big smile.

We made our way over to the mall. I really didn't need all that much, but Lester insisted on walking all over the mall. He said that I might see something that I want. He even said that it would be a travesty if there was a shoe sale and I missed it. I was starting to think that Lester really wasn't all that bad. If he wanted to go shoe shopping, he really must be desperate. I'd hate to think that I was keeping him from a mountain of paper work, but I couldn't pass on a shoe sale when all of my shoes just went up in flames. Could I?

I was standing in Macy's when I found them. The perfect boots! In my size! It was fate. I sat down on a little bench and almost moaned as I pulled on the go-go style boots. I slowly walked over to the full length mirror to see how they looked. They were perfect, of course. How could they not be? Black, lace up, with a thick heel. Perfect dancing boots.

I turned to go back to the bench and I almost ran over Lester. He grabbed my arms to keep me from falling over. I laughed and looked up at him. The look in his eyes quickly silenced me. His usually bright green, laughing eyes were now a deep hunter green that were serious. The change in color had startled me.

I opened my mouth to ask if he was okay and quickly found his tongue in my mouth. I tensed in shock and Lester pulled away. My lips felt cold from the absence of his searing kiss. The kiss had lasted all of five seconds. But, in that small time, my body had reacted. I felt on fire. We stood there in stunned silence. Neither one of us sure what to say.

"I guess you like the boots," I said finally breaking the silence.

"I'm really sorry, Steph. That was way out of line," Lester said. His face was serious.

"It's okay, Lester," I said as I moved past him to go to the bench.

I suddenly felt sad. I realized that I didn't want him to apologize. I wanted him to kiss me again. I wanted a chance to see what his lips would feel like. I wanted a second chance, I thought as I sat down to take the boots off.

_This is a bad idea._ Smart Stephanie said.

_Why?_ Stupid Stephanie asked.

_Lester is a Merry Man. Ranger would have a heart attack if we got involved with him. _Smart Stephanie said.

_Ranger wants us to be happy. He knows that he can't give us what we need._ Stupid Stephanie said.

_What exactly do we really need that Ranger can't give us? _Smart Stephanie asked.

A ring, I sadly thought to them.

I was brought out of my thoughts by Lester's phone ringing.

"Yeah," He said when he answered the phone. He was silent for a moment and then he hung up his phone. Lester looked over at me. He had a blank expression across his face. "We need to go. Now."

I grabbed the boots and made my way to the nearest customer service desk. Lester made a quick phone call while the clerk quickly rang up the boots and we headed back out into the mall. I'm not really sure when, but at some point, Lester had grabbed my hand. Our fingers were interlaced. His hand was warm and comforting. This single act clued me into the fact that the call he got was really bad.

Lester made me stand a good hundred feet from the Bronco while he started it. When it roared to life, I ran to the open passenger door. I had a very bad feeling about what was happening. I once again found Lester's hand in mine when we got back on the road. I found myself constantly checking the rear view mirror on my door. Lester was weaving in and out of traffic. He was nervous as well.

"What is it, Lester?" I asked quietly.

"It's okay, Steph. Everything is going to be fine. I just have to get you back to the office."

"Don't lie to me, Lester."

"I'm sorry, Honey. I don't mean to frighten you," Lester said as he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Then tell me what that phone call was about."

"Your bomber called my phone," he whispered.

"Oh, God," I whispered.

"It'll be okay," Lester said firmly. "No one is going to get you, Steph. They'll have to get through me first. I never should have taken you to the mall. I was being selfish."

His grasp on my hand tightened as he said this. I was once again putting someone else in danger.

NOT LESTER! My mind screamed.

I suddenly started to fell light headed. There were little black dots swimming in front of my eyes. I was having a hard time getting a good breath. Everything was starting to cave in. Some one was trying to kill me! Lester was telling me that he was going to put himself in harms way. Why? I can't let anything happen to him!

That's when everything went black.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

"Stephanie!"

Why does Lester sound so panicked? Is someone shaking me? What happened? The phone call. My eyes flew open. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Lester's face slowly came into focus just inches from my face. Panicked wasn't the right word. Horrified better described his face.

I suddenly found my face plastered to his hard chest. I could hear his heart racing a thousand miles a minute. I was still in the front passenger seat of the Bronco. Lester had climbed into my lap. I heard a low chuckle, but it didn't come from Lester. Everything was still off kilter. Disorienting.

"Fuck off, Tank," Lester growled.

"I'm okay, Lester," I said as I tried to pull back. I felt his grip tighten around me.

"Give me a second, Honey. You scared the hell out of me," Lester whispered into my hair.

I wiggled around for a second to get my arms free and wrapped then around his waist. I wasn't use to this kind of affection from any of the Merry Men, but it was really nice. Lester was warm and he smelled excellent. Kind of woodsy. Very manly. Strangely intoxicating.

_Hello! Lester!_ Smart Stephanie shouted.

I ignored her. I listened as Lester's heart started to slow down. His breathing was evening out and his muscles were starting to relax. I smiled and snuggled into him. This prompted a small laugh out of Lester. He slowly pulled me back and smiled down at my. His eyes were clear and the smile on his face when straight to his eyes. They had that sparkle that I was starting to love. I smiled back at him.

"Are you going to let her out?"

The voice startled me. I looked to my right and saw Binkie standing in my open door. A large grin appeared across his face. There was a little bit of sheepishness behind it. Like he was embarrassed that he had seen Lester holding me. I just smiled at Binkie. He's such a sweet guy.

"I think that he might have to," I said to Binkie. "I can't feel my feet."

"Oh, Jesus, Steph," Lester said as he jumped out of the Bronco. "I'm sorry."

"You need to quit apologizing to me," I said as I slowly eased myself out of the Bronco. I really wasn't sure how steady my legs were going to be. They were a little wobbly as I took my first step and I found Binkie and Lester on either side of me. They both threw an arm around my waist and moved me over to the elevator. That was when I finally realized that we were back at RangeMan.

"How long was I out for?" I finally asked once we were in the elevator.

"Ten minutes," Lester said as he hit the button for the fourth floor.

Lester and Binkie walked me to my room. They got me settled on my bed and then Binkie disappeared. Lester got a bottle of water out of the fridge and brought it over to me. I drank the whole bottle. I had no clue that I was really that thirsty until the water hit my tongue.

"I need to go see Tank. I'll be back as soon as I can. Do you want me to get one of the guys to sit with you?" Lester asked as he tucked a curl behind my ear.

"No. I'm okay now. I think that I stopped breathing for a minute there," I said quietly.

"You were breathing," Lester said with a smile. "I think that you were hyperventilating."

"I figured it was one or the other," I said with a weak smile.

"Why don't you lie down and rest for a little while. I promise that I'll be back as soon as I can."

I nodded as I laid down. Lester pulled the comforter over me and kissed my hair before he ran out the door. I think that Lester might be the strangest out of all of the Merry Men. I thought that he was always happy. Now that I had spent the day with him, I noticed that he had a lot of different moods. He was a little crazier then I thought. When I saw the panic on his face, I had thought that someone was dead. He looked so frightened.

* * *

"Stephanie."

I slowly opened my eyes and focused on a set of bright green eyes. I smiled up at Lester as I stretched out. It took me a moment to realize that he had his blank look on. This is never good when it comes to a Merry Man.

"You have some news," I said as I sat up.

"Yeah. Tank wants you to come down to the control room," Lester said as he stood up and held out his hand.

"Let me at least go to the bathroom first," I said as I took his hand and climbed off the bed. "I know that I look like a disaster."

"You look beautiful, Honey," Lester said with a small smile.

"Thanks for lying," I said with a laugh as I headed to the bathroom.

I took a look in the mirror and nearly screamed. My hair was everywhere. My mascara had been smeared down my cheeks. I threw some water on my face and tried to do something to my hair. I gave up on my hair after five minutes and ended up putting it in a ponytail. I swiped on a lot of mascara and deemed myself as ready as I was ever going to be.

"Ready?" Lester asked as I emerged form the bathroom.

I simply nodded my head and went to the door. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It got worse when we got in the elevator. I'm not sure who grabbed who's hand, but I was thankful for the strength that Lester was giving me. The small touch of our joined hands instantly started soothing me. We got off the elevator on the fifth floor and headed to the control room.

When Ranger's out, Tank prefers the comforts of the control room. Binkie once told me that Tank finds the conference room uncomfortable. Something to do with all of the silence. We found Tank, Binkie, Cal, Hal, and Ram sitting in the control room waiting for us. For a normal person, the sight for these five guys would cause panic to rise. The only thing that cause me panic was that they were all here together. Red flags were waving. They had an id on the bomber.

Lester ushered me over to a chair and guided me to sit down. I kept a firm grip on his hand as he sat in the chair next to me. The looks on the Merry Men's faces was blank. No emotion. Lock down mode. They had something big.

"What's going on Tank," I said as I looked at the leader of my Merry Men.

"Does the name Gregory Stern ring a bell?" Tank asked.

I sat there and searched my memory. Gregory Stern. A long ago night started to flash through my mind. Being chased through a parking lot. Hiding by a dumpster. Rolling in the grass outside a nursing home. Ranger.

"Oh, God," I whispered as everything came back. I looked over at Lester. He was still holding my hand. I tightened my grip and looked back over at Tank. "You have to pick up Sally Sweet. Now."

"Junior called a few minutes ago. He's bringing Sally here as we speak."

"Jesus," I whispered as I brought a hand over my mouth. I definitely felt sick now.

"It's okay, Steph," Lester said as he knelt in front of me. "We've got Sally and you protected."

"Why wasn't I warned that Sugar got out?" I asked in nothing more then a whisper.

"It was so long ago that I think we all kind of forgot," Lester whispered. "I'm sorry, Steph."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I'm just playing with them

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long. I've been working on something else.

* * *

"Sugar?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck!" _Snap._

"Sally," I said as I shook my head. "You'd think that you'd be over the rubber band thing by now. It's been three years!"

"I know, " Sally said to me. "I can't help it. They're sure it's Sugar?"

"Without a doubt. He purchased a prepaid cell phone and called Lester. Tank was able to trace it because Sugar used a credit card to purchase the phone and minutes."

"He's not the smartest stalker, is he?"

"He's gotten a little smarter. After all, he almost blew me up," I said.

Sally and I were sitting on the sofa in my RangeMan apartment. Junior had just brought him up along with five very large suitcases. The plan was to keep Sally and me in the building untill the Merry Men were able to catch Sugar. There was just one small problem. There weren't any open apartments on the fourth floor. I could move up to the seventh floor, but I was informed this morning that Ranger would be back tomorrow. I still didn't have a boyfriend. Ranger would have a field day with that. I could give up my apartment and crash with one of the Merry Men, but that would be a little weird.

"Junior said that there weren't any open apartments. Were am I suppose to sleep?" Sally asked. "Am I staying with you?"

"I'm still working on that one, Sally. Give me a little while and I'm sure that I can come up with something," I said. "The only thing that I'm possitive about is that I'm not moving back up to the seventh floor. I'd rather bunk with Lester then have to deal with Ranger."

"That can be arranged."

I looked over at the door and saw Lester standing in the doorway. How long had he been standing there?

"Only a minute, Honey," Lester said with a crooked smile.

"Don't pull that ESP shit on me. It's bad enough that Ranger walks around freely in my head. I don't need you in there, too!"

"Calm down, Honey. It's not ESP," Lester said with a full smile. "Your face is easy to read."

"Oh. Well, I'm not sure if bunking with you is a wise idea," I said.

"Why not?" Sally asked. "I think that it's a great idea. Unless you want to stay here with me. I just have to warn you. I kick in my sleep."

"It's settled then," Lester said as he walked over to my closet and pulled out a duffle bag. "You can bunk with me untill we get Sugar."

"Okay," I said as I stood and grabbed the duffle bag from Lester. I walked to my dresser and started throwing clothes in the bag. "If I get any flack from your boys, I'm moving in with Binkie."

"Don't worry about a thing, Honey. I'll talk to the guys. I promise that they won't bug you on this one," Lester said as he made his way back to the door. "Besides, all I have to do is hang your threat over Binkie's head."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I said as I whirled around.

"Nothing against you, Honey. But co-habitation scares the heck out of Binkie. He got really nervous when we decided to bring Sally back here. He knew that we didn't have any open apartments."

"You volunteered, didn't you?" I shouted at Lester as I started moving toward him.

"Honey, you have to relax. Would you rather bunk with one of the other guys? I can ask around if you want," Lester said as he started backing out of the apartment.

"You think that this is funny, don't you? Why do I keep getting stuck with you? Every time that I've been in trouble for the last year I've been stuck with you," I said as I jammed a finger in his chest.

"It's obvious," Sally said from behind me.

"What's obvious?" I asked as I turned around.

"He likes you," Sally simply stated.

"No, he doesn't," I said to Sally. "This is Lester we're talking about. The man with a million girlfriends."

"Steph, he hasn't had a girlfriend in a year."

"Of course he has. Why wouldn't he. He's a walking God! Any woman would be lucky to get their hands on Lester."

"I don't want just any woman," Lester said quietly from behind me. I had actually forgotten that he was still here. I slowly turned around and looked up at him. "I want you."

"I told you," Sally said. "The man has had it bad for about a year now."

"Shut up, Sally," I said without looking back at him. I was caught by Lester's eyes. He was completely sincere about what he had just said to me. Lester of all people. Had I already know this? Was I really that blind by everything else that was going on that I hadn't seen this coming? I need time to think about this one.

I turned and headed back to my dresser. I grabed a tank top and a pair of shorts and went into the bathroom. I quickly changed and came back out. Sally was still sitting on the couch and Lester was still at the door. I looked over at Sally.

"I'm going to the gym. If you want, throw all of my clothes in the duffle bag and get yourself unpacked. I'll be back in a bit," I said as I turned and headed to the door. I stopped in front of Lester. He looked a little heart broken. "I need time to think."

I moved past him and made my way to the gym. Thankfully the gym was empty. I walked over to the CD player and riffled through the CDs that were stacked up beside it. I settled on _Nine Inch Nails_. There's something about Trent's voice that forces me to relax. I jumped on the treadmill and started running. I needed to figure out how I felt about Lester.

He's a really great guy. Lester is extremely intelligent. He has a wonderful sense of homur. He's been able to get me to laugh at some very low times. I don't think that a lot of people would have been able to do that. He let me fight my own battle with Joe without getting invovled. He had my back, but never interfered. He makes me feel safe. Outside of Joe, Ranger, and Tank, I've never felt that way.

Joe and Ranger are definitely dead ends. I'm not a burg wife and I won't be kept in the dark. Lester has never made either of those demands. At least not yet. Would he though? He's never hidden things from me. Even when things go to shit, he always tells me the truth. I can't really see Lester being a father either. But, what if I change my mind in a year and want one? Would Lester want one, too?

I think that I'm over thinking. I really just need to know how I feel about Lester. Safe. Happy. And who am I kidding, extremely turned on. The kiss in the mall had been small, but if it was any indication, I would be very fortunate in that area. Plus, Lester had a reputation of making every experience like a moment in heaven. I've found that the Merry Men talk a lot. Especially when they are under the influence.

Would it really be all that bad to atleast try? I could do that, right? As long as I was upfront about it. I'd have to tell him that I wasn't sure how deep my feelings went. I need time to be able to experience things with him in a mind frame of being with him.

"Bomber."

Binkie's voice startled me out of my thinking. I stumbled and, once again, landed on my ass after being thrown off the treadmill. I glared up at Binkie when he started to laugh. I was forever making an ass out of myself in front of the Merry Men.

"What do you want?" I asked as I slowly got off the ground.

"Tank sent me. He said that you had been running for about an hour. You okay?"

"I think my ass is broken," I said as I rubbed my butt.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Binkie said as he guided me over to the elevator.

"I'm fine. I just needed to think."

"So you've gotten everything straightened out?" Binkie asked as he shoved me into the elevator.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Lester. He's been pacing the hall on the fourth floor since you went to the gym. Just give it a try. "

"I'm going to. Why is it that you guys can't mind your own business?" I asked.

"Because we love you," Binkie said as the doors opened and he shoved me out into the hall.

Lester was standing in the middle of the hall. He smiled at me. It was a small and sad smile. Like he thought that I wasn't going to give him a chance. How could he think that? He had to of known that I wouldn't be able to turn away from him. Damn it! How could he think so little of himself? Is he insane?

"I'm sorry," Lester said quietly. "I shouldn't have told you how I felt. Just forget everything that I said."

"Are you out of your mind!" I shouted. I'm not one hundred percent sure why I had gotten so angry, but I was fuming. "How on Earth am I supose to forget that? I just spent the last hour running on a treadmill while I tried to figure out how I feel."

"How do you feel?" Lester asked.

"I know that I care about you. I just don't know how deep. I'd like to get the chance to find out though," I quietly said.

I watched as Lester's face lit up. He looked like he had just won the lottery. He walked over to me and took me into his arms. I looked up at him to give him a smile and quickly found his lips on mine. I felt a fire ignite in my belly as I parted my lips to allow his tongue into my mouth. The fire spred through my body as his tongue danced across mine.

I trailed my hands up his arms and fisted my hands in his thick hair. I suddenly realized that I had been waiting to do this. I had been waiting for this moment. The moment was destroyed by someone clearing there throat. I felt my face burn as I relucnantly torn my lips from Lester's.

"Sorry, Lester. We need you in the control room," Tank said from behind me.

"Give me five minutes," Lester said.

I heard the door to the stairwell close quietly. I looked up at Lester. He was smiling down at me. He took my hand and led me to his apartment. I had just barely heard the door close behind me when I was whirled around. My lips were captured by Lester's once again. This time the kiss was soft and sweet. There wasn't any urgency. It was just a sweet kiss to show love.

"I hate leaving you like this," Lester whispered.

"All hot and bothered?" I asked with a laugh.

"No," Lester said as he laughed with me. "Alone."

"I'm locked away in RangeMan. I'll be fine. I'm going to go grab my stuff and try to get situated in here."

"I cleared out a couple of drawers for you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay."

He kissed me quickly one more time and then slipped out the door. I had a warm and fuzzy feeling in my stomach. That's interesting.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: JE owns the character.

* * *

I felt the bed sink behind me. I slowly opened one eye and looked at the alarm clock next to the bed. Three A.M. I snuggled into the warm body behind me as his arms came around my waist.

"I'm sorry that I got back so late," Lester whispered in my ear.

"You should be sorry that you didn't call me and tell me that you were going to be so late," I whispered back.

"Shit! I'm so sorry, Honey," Lester said as he tightened his grip on me. "I'm such an ass."

"You're right," I said as I rolled over to look at him. The room was pitch black and I couldn't see a thing. Damn it! "You are an ass. Just don't make it a habbit of leaving me hanging. You're lucky that Binkie called me and told me what was going on."

"I promise that I will never leave you hanging again. Everything just happened so quickly. There was a break in at a building that we had been doing survailence on. They totally trashed the offices."

"Bummer."

"Try to go back to sleep," Lester whispered as he pulled me closer and tucked me under his chin.

I wrapped myself around him and breathed him in. He smelled the way that a man should smell. Like he had worked a hard, long day. Sweat laced with a hint of aftershave from this morning. It was intoxicating. I slowly traced my fingers along his back muscles as I started to relax into him.

It was peaceful in his arms. There wasn't a threatening sexuality that I always experienced with Ranger. Or, the raging hormones that Joe eminated even in his sleep. Lester had an air of relaxation. Like there was always time later. There wasn't a need to rush. The feeling faded instantly when Lester broke the silence.

"I won't be held accountable it you don't stop doing that," he whispered in a husky voice.

"Doing what?"

"Running your fingers up and down my back."

I didn't stop. The sound of his voice had been like a drug that I was adicted to. I lost control at this point. I quickly rolled Lester over on his back and slid on top of him. He laughed in surprise at my bold move. It was easier for me in the dark. Never knowing what was coming untill it was there.

I ran my hands up his chest as I leaned down. Once I had his face lightly cupped in my hands, I kissed him lightly. Lester ran his hands up my back and fisted them in my hair as he pulled me further into the kiss. A moan escaped my throat as I felt him harden beneath me.

Lester broke the kiss and started nipping and licking his way down my neck. His hands slowly slid up my back under my shirt. He released my neck momentarily to relieve me of my shirt and underwear.

I was laying on my back trying to catch my breath when I felt Lester's tongue on the inside of my knee. Catching my breath wouldn't be an option untill after we were done. Being in the dark had hightened the rest of my senses. Every lick, or graze of his teeth, was more prowerful and provocative. He slowly made his way up my body.

I felt like I was on fire. Lester was laying on the bed in between my legs. My right leg was bent and resting on his shoulder. He was taking his sweet time giving open mouth kisses to my thigh. My throat clogged with an overwhelming sensation of pleasure when he slipped a finger inside of me.

"Oh, God, Honey," Lester whispered. "You're so wet."

Everything fell away when the first orgasm ripped through my body. I was floating down to Earth slowly went I felt Lester slowly start to kiss his way back up to my lips. I tasted myself on his lips and groaned as he slowly slid inside me. I was still tight from my orgasm and I loved the feeling of him slowly entering me.

It started out slow and sensual. Every kiss and carress was light and smooth. I felt my orgasm start to build. Lester sensed this and slowed everything back down. He was going to slowly torture me. I was loving every second of the agony that he was putting me through.

He slowly pulled my hands above my head and cuffed them with one of his. He took his other hand and slid it down my sweat soaked body. He placed his hand under my lower back and brought my hips off the bed. It felt amazing from this angle. He was able to get even deeper inside me.

He started off slowly, moving almost completely out before he slid back in. I felt an orgasm start to build once more. I whispered his name as the first wave started to ripple through my body. He slowed down slightly as I started to come down. He brought my hips up about an inch and started plunging into my.The orgasm that instantly ripped through me took my breath away. I head Lester whisper my name as he exploded inside me.

Lester released my hands as he slowly laid us down on the bed. The only thing that I could hear was his voice whispering my name. It echoed through my head as I slowed my breathing. I was surprised at how emotional I felt about hearing him say my name like that.

Lester wrapped his arms around me and rolled over so that I was on top of him. He tuck my head under his chin and started running his fingers over my spin. We silently laided there. Neither one of us wanting to move or make a sound. It was the calm after the storm that had us both rendered silent.

Was this a normal experience for him? Did he feel as light as I did? I never wanted to let this feeling go. I wanted to keep him here with me forever. This automaticly made me feel vulnerable. I didn't want to need to feel this way. I didn't want to have to depend on anyone to make me feel this way. My shower massager was never going to be enough after Lester.

"You okay?" Lester whispered in my hair.

"I don't think that I've ever been better," I whispered back.

Lester's hand moved under my chin and tilted my face up. His lips came down on mine softly. I don't think that the kiss was suppose to be filled with so much love coming from Lester. Reguardless, I sunk into the kiss and opened myself up. The kiss stayed light and romantic. It was the romanticness that caught me off guard.

I pulled back and looked at Lester. The sun had risen and the room was starting to lighten up. He gave me a crooked smile. The combination of the smile and the kiss made my chest tighten. I was damned to be in love with him. I shook me head at the realization.

"What?" Lester asked as he frowned up at me.

"You don't want to know," I said as I leaned up and stretched my arms over my head.

Lester sat up and looked into my eyes. I suck at this kind of stuff. People always know what I'm thinking. I stared at Lester while I waited for him to see everything that I felt. I didn't want to hide it, but I couldn't say it either. A small smile started to play at the corner of his lips. I watched the small smile turn into a blazing grin. His lips caught mine and I was lost all over again.

"I love you, too," Lester whispered against my lips. "Don't worry, you don't have to say anything yet. After all… I've been in love with you for a year. It takes a little bit of time to get use to."

We were interupted by Lester's cell phone ringing. He leaned over and grabbed the phone off of the night stand.

"Yo," he said when he put it to his head. He slowly turned and looked at me. He had a blank face on. Not good. "We'll be down in a few."

I warily watched Lester put his phone back down on the night stand. He sat back up and wrapped his arms around my waist. Blank Lester wasn't my favorite, but I knew that the Happy, Sexy Lester was just under the sufface waiting to come back out.

"Problem?" I asked.

"Yeah. We need to get down to the control room."

"Okay," I said as I got off his lap and climbed out of bed.

I could feel Lester watch me as I walked over to his dresser and open the top drawer. I pulled out a thong and bra set. Black and lacy. I moved down a drawer and grabbed a tank top and a pair of cargos. Today was RangeMan gear. I walked into the bathroom and turned the water on.

I was half way through soaping up when Lester jumped in with me. I smiled up at him as he moved me around so that he was under the water. I slowly slid my soapy hands up his chizeled chest. I had to give the man credit, he has an amazing body. I felt frumpy while I was standing in front of him nake.

"I love your body, Honey," Lester whispered as he leaned down and kissed my nose while he wrapped his arms around my waist. "It's perfect."

"No. It's not," I laughed.

We tried our hardest ot get out of the shower without starting anything to heavy. Lester left the bathroom to get dressed while I finished up with my hair. He was sitting on the floor when I got out of the shower. I laughed at him. He was sitting there, waiting for me, completely dressed and ready to go.

I quickly dried off and wrapped my hair in a towel. I slid on the thong and bra and turned around so that Lester could get an eye full.

"I'm not going to be able to concentrate today."

"Why?" I asked as I slid my pants on.

"Because I know what's on under your clothes. I hope that I don't have to shoot at anyone today," Lester said as he shook his head.

I threw on my tank top and tried to do something with my hair. I ended up just putting it in a pony tail. I threw some cash and cards in my pocket and deemed myself ready to go.

I grabbed Lester's hand and pulled him out of the apartment. We walked hand in hand into the elevator and went one floor up. I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. I was happy even though I knew what I was about to hear wouldn't be good. Lester's grip tightened on my hand as we headed to the control room.

I gave Lester's hand a squeeze as I looked up at him. Blank Lester had been replaced by Hard Lester. The change was minimal, but it was still there. This change confused me momentarily. I understood the change when we walked into the control room.

"Babe."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: JE owns the character.

* * *

I was proud of myself for not faltering when I came face to face with Ranger. We hadn't exactly had the 'no poaching' talk. That tends to be a difficult conversation for both of us to have. Sure, I left the message, but that was the chicken shit way out. By the look in Ranger's eyes this was going to get ugly. Fast.

"Babe," Ranger said again.

"What Ranger?" I asked.

He silently stared at me. I can't take this shit anymore. I've had it. I released Lester's hand and walked over to Ranger. I grabbed his hand and hauled him out of the control room. I pushed Ranger into his office and slammed the door.

"What?" I shouted at him.

"Babe…"

"Don't fucking 'Babe' me! What the fuck do you want from me?" I shouted. Italian temper tantrum didn't even come close to describing how I was feeling.

"Lester?"

"You know what, Ranger? Why don't you come and find me when you're done with your one word questions. I'm tired of the Batman façade," I said.

I turned to leave and was quickly whirled around and pinned to the door. Ranger looked pissed. Ranger showing any emotion, other then amusement, was bad. At this point, I really didn't give a shit. Anything was better then the silent treatment he had been giving me for the last four months.

"I'm tired of the games, Babe."

"I've never played games with you. You're the one that kept sending me back to Joe. After everything that we shared, you discarded me like yesterday's underwear. I'm done."

The finality of my statement hung in the air. I watched several emotions run through Ranger's eyes. Regret, disbelief, heart break. The mask quickly came across his face and he shut down.

"That's what I thought," I said as I shoved Ranger aside and opened the door. "You missed your chance, Ranger. Don't miss your chance at being my friend."

I closed the door in his face and made my way back to the control room. Lester, Tank, Junior, Cal, Hal, and Binkie were all standing there. I had no doubts that they had heard every word of what was said. After all, Ranger's office is bugged. The whole office is bugged. I stood in the doorway and folded my arms across my chest.

"Did you guys have an update on Sugar, or did I get pulled out of bed to have a fight with Ranger this morning?"

"A package was delivered to the bonds office for you. We've already scanned it. We haven't opened it since it's for you," Tank said as he pointed at a box that sat on the floor by the wall.

"Great!" I said as I moved over to the box. "I love packages!"

I knelt down in front of the box and pulled out my pocket knife. I cut the tape on the top of the box and then put the knife back in my pocket. I pulled the flaps back on the box and peered inside. I slowly reached in and started pulling things out.

Blonde Marilyn Monroe wig. Black mini skirt. Red halter top. Black FMPs. I felt a wave of dread as I looked into the bottom of the box and saw the note.

_Whore,_

_Tomorrow night is the start of the Marilyn Monroe Convention in Atlantic City. It will be held at Bally's. Please come prepared._

_Sugar_

"This is sick," I said as I handed the letter to Lester who was standing right behind me.

"This is a nightmare," Lester said after he scanned the letter and handed it to Tank. "Although I think that the wig might have potential."

"I don't care how much you like me as a blonde, I'm not bleaching my hair," I said as I instantly felt my mood lighten as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I placed my hand on his as I picked up the wig and inspected it. I flipped it over and saw a little black dot near the edge of the cap. I slowly stood up and walked over to one of the chairs that was at the control desk. I climbed up on the chair and brought the wig to my face under the bright light that was inches over my head.

"What are you doing, Honey?" Lester asked.

"Tracking devise," I said as I threw the wig at Tank.

"Impressive," Tank said as he eyes the small devise. "Expensive."

"Can we piggy back off of that signal?" Lester asked as he helped me down.

"Let me take a look," Junior said as he held out his hand for the wig. "If not, then I can put one of ours in it."

Lester brought me into his arms as the guys weighed the pros and cons of going through with Sugar's request. Binkie and Hal were completely against me going any where near Atlantic City. The other guys were all for it. Lester stayed quiet the whole time.

"What do you think, Lester?" Tank asked.

"I'm with Steph. If she wants to do it, then I'll be there."

All of the guys looked down at me. They all wanted to know how much guts I had.

"Looks like we're all going to Atlantic City," I said with a challenging smile.

Tank started spouting out orders for the guys to get organized. I ran my fingers across Lester's forearms that were wrapped around the top of my chest. I leaned my head down and kissed his arm. I pulled my head back and closed my eyes as I leaned my head against his chest. I smiled when I felt him place a light kiss in my hair.

There was really only one thing that I could think of that I needed to do to get ready for tomorrow night. I needed to freshen up my fighting skills. Big Dog had gotten me boxing lessons as a gag gift for my last birthday. I actually went and took the classes. It had been fun and i had learned a lot. It had been a while, though. I needed two hours with Hal.

I opened my eyes and saw Hal looking over at me. I looked down at my watch. Seven thirty. I had to change. Then I should probably warm up a little. I looked back up at Hal.

"Eight thirty?" I asked.

"It's a date," Hal said and then walked off.

"Why is one of my best friends taking my girlfriend out on a date?" Lester whispered in my ear.

"It's not a real date," I said as I turned in his arms. "Hal's gonna show me some moves."

"What? My moves weren't good enough?" Lester said with a crooked smile.

"Your moves were fantastic, Lester," I said with a smile. "But you'll hold back in a fight. Hal won't."

"You planning on jumping in the ring?"

"You bet your ass."

"Be careful of his right hook. Keep your left up," Lester said and then kissed my forehead.

"I'll see you later," I said as I moved out of his arms and made my way to the door.

"Ring side at eight thirty," Lester said with a laugh.

I made my way to the fourth floor and quickly changed. I ran to the gym to get my heart pumping. I hit the treadmill first. Sweat is a good thing, right. I did a quick stop at the arm and leg machine and then I did some work on my abs. By eight thirty, I was pumped and ready to go.

I was at the CD player when Hal walked in. I looked at the clock on the wall. Eight thirty-five. I shot Hal a glare.

"Sorry."

"Would you have been late if Tank or Ranger was waiting for you?" I asked.

Hal silently stepped into the ring. Like a good little Merry Man, he refused to comment. I was okay with this. The less talk the better. Green Day started blaring over the speakers as Hal started to jumping in place to get his blood pumping.

_Don't want to be an American idiot._

Binkie walked in and got both of us laced up in boxing gloves. He whispered a warning on Hal's right hook as well. I winked at Binkie and smiled as he slipped the teeth guard in my mouth. I bounced and danced my way around the ring while I waited for Binkie to lace Hal up.

"I walk a lonely road," I sand along with Billie Joe. "The only one that I have ever known. Don't know where it goes, but it's home to me and I walk alone."

"You ready, Half Pint?" Hal asked with a wide grin.

"You bet your ass, Tonto!" I shouted as we started going at each other.

I got his first few punches blocked and I landed a good kidney punch. The kidney punch was a declaration of war to Hal. I ducked his right hook and countered with un upper cut that sent him back a few steps.

"Shake it off!" Binkie shouted from the ropes.

I heard Cal make a bet with Junior that I could knock Hal out. Fifty dollar bets were flying around the ring. When did all of these people come in here? I caught sight of Lester behind Hal. He raised his fists in front of his face and I raised mine.

We danced around a bit while Hal got rid of the stars in his eyes. I saw his eyes come back into focus and the game was back on. Hal started to dance his way toward me. I watched his feet move and started to anticipate his next move. Hal likes to make you think the wrong thing by his stance. He was going to try for another right hook.

I saw the fake with his left as he pulled his right back. He left himself wide open. He fell back when my glove contacted with his chin once again. I stood over him and looked down. The lights were on, but no body was home.

"Shit, Steph! You kicked his ass!" Binkie shouted as he jumped in the ring to check on Hal.

I smiled over at Lester. He had a satisfied grin spread across his face. I walked over to the ropes and waved him over. He slowly pushed off the wall and came over. I opened my mouth so that he could take the guard out.

"How much did you win?" I asked.

"Two hundred," Lester said proudly. "I think that you just got yourself another opponent."

I looked over my shoulder to see Binkie lacing Cal up.

"Words of advice… Cal will wait you out. You'll have to go after him. He fights dirty. Watch his knees. If he starts getting dirty, kick him in his left knee. Watch his right hook, too. He'll favor his left to fake you out. Don't fall for it," Lester whispered. He kissed me deeply and the slid the guard back in my mouth. "They've seen the upper cut. He'll be watching for that. Gloves up."

I smiled at my coach and started dancing around the ring while I waited for Cal to get warmed up. I was glowing with the admiration that I had seen in Lester's eyes. I bounced up to Cal and we touched gloves. Before he could bounce away, I hit him with a right hook that sent him back a few feet.

"Shake it off, Cal!" Tank shouted.

I looked over at Tank and pointed at him. He was next and he wanted a shot. I could see it in his eyes. He grinned at me and I quickly shot a grin back. I was in Merry Man heaven. They all wanted a piece of me. I really only wanted a piece of one of them and I knew that Lester wouldn't step in the ring with me.

Cal quickly recovered and started bouncing around once again. The gleam in his eyes was inspiring. I got closer and sacrificed taking one to the head to get in my upper cut and sent Cal to the ground. I bounced around the ring.

"Come on Cal!" I shouted. "Hal lasted longer then this!"

That got a rise out of Cal. He slowly got up and shook the hit off. He started bouncing around the ring again. He decided to take an offensive approach and landed a kidney punch. He briefly left himself open after the punch and I got in another right hook. He fell right back down.

Binkie climbed in the ring and checked on Cal. He leaned down to try to hear what Cal was saying. Binkie smiled up at me. I threw my hands in the air and did my happy, booty dance. I glanced over at Lester. He was already at the ropes. He was grinning from ear to ear.

I bounced over and opened up my mouth. He removed the guard and I took a drink from the bottle of water that he offered. He reached over the ropes and strapped a helmet to my head. He was being protective. It was cute.

"Tank is big. Don't let his size fool you. He's quick. He's in incredible shape. He has no weaknesses. Watch out for his upper cut. He'll pull back for a right hook and change at the last minute. Block your ribs. That's his favorite area to go after other then your head."

I nodded as I tried to gather all of the information that I could.

"I need new music," I said after I took another drink.

"What do you want?"

"White Stripes. Seven Nation Army."

"Good choice," Lester said with a grin. He stuck the guard back in my mouth and headed to the CD player. I turned back to the ring and started bouncing around once again. Binkie was finishing lacing up Tank when Ranger walked in. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look at him. He walked up to the ropes and stood between Hal and Cal. I bounced over to Ram who was off by himself. He smiled down at me as I came over.

"Hey, Heavy Weight," Ram said as he leaned on the ropes. "Looking pretty good."

I opened my mouth and he took out my guard. He squirted more water in my mouth for me and wiped the sweat off of my forehead.

"Gloves up. Elbows in. Eyes up. Watch his shoulders. The one that dips is the one that throws."

"Got it," I said. I opened my mouth and Ram slid the guard back in.

I turned around as I heard the bass boom out of the speakers.

"I'm gonna fight'em all. A seven nation army couldn't hold me back," I sang out as I danced around my side of the ring.

Tank started laughing as he bounced in place. We met in the middle to touch gloves. I watched Tank's left shoulder drop as my gloves slammed down on his. His left hook came out at caught me in the jaw. I flew back at landed on the floor. I moved my jaw around and saw Ram staring down at me. I was by the ropes at his feet. That meant that I flew about ten feet. Damn It!

I sat up and looked at Tank. He had a smug smile plastered across his face as he bounced in place. I held my hand up to keep Binkie out of the ring. This was war!

"Come on, Bomber!" Ram shouted as I stood up. "Go get him, girl!"

I started bouncing in place as I rolled my head back and forth. I shook my shoulders out and then brought up my gloves. Tank quickly moved forward. I saw his shoulder drop and I weaved as his arm came around. I countered as I weaved and caught him in the ribs. I heard the crack, but it didn't seem to faze Tank. He weaved for a moment and the dropped his shoulder again. As he brought out his arm I saw the blood run down his side.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: I know that I said that I was going to take a couple of days off. It turns out that I can't when I'm at home on my days off from work. I also think that I didn't clarify myself very well in my A/N that I posted Monday night. I hadn't recieved just one bad review on this story. I've actually recieved several. It just so happens that this reveiw hit me very badly and during a PMS mood swing. On top of that, I also have a cold. This just hasn't been my week. Please except my deepest, heart felt appologies. I'm an ass and I'm sorry. Please feel free to rake me over the coals for it._

* * *

As I dodged low to avoid Tank's left hook, I dropped down on my knee and held up my hand. Tank stopped mid swing and dropped his arm. Scrambling to my feet, I pulled Tank's shirt up just as Binkie got to my side. I grabbed the towel out of his hand and pressed it to Tank's exposed rib.

"Tank?"

"I'm good, Steph," Tank said with a cough.

"You're not good, Tank. You have a rib sticking out of your chest. Ribs aren't suppose to do that," I said as I pressed on his side, trying to stem the flow of blood.

"What do you think, Binkie?" Tank asked.

"I think that you need a hospital. I can't fix you this time, Tank."

"Then let's go to the hospital," Tank said with a sigh. He really hated hospitals.

"I'm really sorry, Tank," I whispered.

"It's okay, Steph. I'll be fine," Tank whispered back to me as he gave me a reassuring smile.

Lester and Ram got Tank through the ropes while Binkie held the towel to Tank's ribs. I felt bad that I had injured a Merry Man. Tank was a good friend. He'd seen me at my worst and had never said a word. He's even taken a couple of bullets when he's been around me. The man is a force to be reckoned with and I keep on getting him hurt. I should be banned from being any where near a Merry Man.

"It's not your fault," Hal said as he stood next to me in the ring. "Tank saw what you did to me and Cal. He had to of known that he wouldn't have walked out of the ring unharmed."

"Hal," I said as I turned to look at him. "Look at me. I'm a twig compared to you guys."

"Yeah," Hal nodded in agreement. "But, it's not your size that matters. That coach who taught you how to box, really knew what he was doing. He taught you all of the basics and where to hit for damage."

"I still don't know if any of this will help me tomorrow night."

"I can teach you some simple disarming moves."

"That would be great, Hal."

"Then we can brush up on normal self defense moves."

The gym had emptied out and it was just Hal and I for the next hour. He taught me several ways to disarm someone with a weapon. Then he taught me how to get out of several basic holds. Hal was very patient with me the whole time.

We were sitting on the mats next to the boxing ring when I saw something in Hal's eyes. I couldn't place the look. It had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He simply smiled down at me.

"What's on your mind, Hal?" I asked after I took a drink out of the water bottle that he had given me.

"Ranger didn't deserve to get yelled at earlier."

"I just got frustrated with him," I said as I shook my head.

"You know that he loves you."

"Yeah. In his own way."

"No, Steph. He loves you the way that a man is suppose to love a woman."

"You've got it all wrong, Hal. Ranger doesn't come with a ring. He comes with a condom and no strings," I said as I sunk my head into my hands. "He doesn't love me the way that I need him to love me."

"He wants what's best for you."

"He wants me to be with someone who can't be faithful?"

"What are you talking about?" Hal asked.

"To say that RangeMan prides itself for being in the know, you guys can be so clueless," I said as I looked up at Hal. He did look clueless. "You really don't know?"

"Know what, Steph?" Hal asked.

"That Joe has been fucking Terry," I said calmly.

The look of shock that was on Hal's face confirmed my idea that Joe was covering his tracks very well. I had seen Joe's 4-Runner parked next to Terry's Mercedes outside a motel on the west side of Trenton. Lula and I had staked out the motel and finally saw them come out of the same room together holding hands. I watched through my windshield, in complete horror, as Joe kissed her before she got into her car. It wasn't a friendly peck either. All this time he had told me that they were just working on a case.

"That can't be right."

"Hal," I said as I stood up. "I watched him kiss her outside of a motel room that they both walked out of. He's been screwing her."

"Wow," Hal said as he stood up. "When did you find out?"

"The morning that my apartment blew up."

"I had no clue, Steph. I really don't think that Ranger would have sent you back to Morelli if he had known that."

"That's not the point, Hal. Ranger got what he wanted and then sent me on my merry way. He had his chance and blew it. I'll be forever grateful for the things that he's done for me, he's spent a lot of money protecting me. I owe him my life and I thank God every for day that he's in my life. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he is the reason that I get to wake up every morning."

"We've all protected you, Steph."

"But he's the only one that has killed to protect me."

"If you love him, then you owe him the chance to prove that he loves you."

"I already know that he loves me. He's already proved that," I said quietly as a tear ran down my cheek. "He broke my heart, Hal."

"He never meant to."

"He did, though. We made love to each other and then he shut me out. He told me to go back to Joe. No one will ever understand what that did to me. He'll never understand," I whispered.

"You can fix this."

"I can try to fix our friendship. That's all that I can offer Ranger right now. You know that."

"I know that you and Lester have a thing going on. I'm not going to say that I like it, but I won't stop you from looking for someone that makes you happy. Just don't forget about Ranger."

"I won't," I said as I turned to make my way to the elevator.

I froze when I saw Ranger leaning against the wall. How long had he been standing there? He had a pained look on his face. I watched Hal walk over to the stairwell and walk out. Deserter!

"I really didn't know about Joe and Terry," Ranger finally said after we stared at each other for a minute.

"I'm sure that you didn't," I replied. "He's been sneaking around for a while. I have to give him a little credit. I probably never would have know if I hadn't been at the right place at the right time."

"I'm sorry that I hurt you," Ranger said quietly after another long moment of silent staring.

"I know that," I said as I started walking over to him. "You pushed me away to protect both of us."

"Maybe."

"If you really wanted me to be happy, then why did you tell me to go back to Joe?"

"I thought that he would be able to make you happy," he said, looking a little sheepish.

"Didn't you ever think that you could have made me happy?" I asked as I stood in front of him. I kept my eyes locked on his as I waited for his answer.

"I can't keep you safe."

"You didn't answer me question, Ranger."

"I know that I can make you happy."

"But you were more concerned about my safety?" I asked.

"My life is dangerous, Babe."

"I know that. I've always know that. The only time that your dangerous life has ever interfered with mine was with Scrogg. And you couldn't have predicted that one. I attract the crazies on my own."

"I know, Babe," Ranger said with a half smile.

"I think that you're hiding."

"Hiding?" Ranger asked with a frown.

"Batman can't commit."

"I'm not Batman, Babe."

"Sure you are. Ranger is Batman and Carlos is Bruce Wayne."

"You're killing me, Babe," Ranger said with another half smile.

"I think that we should stick to doing what we do best."

"What's that?"

"Being friends."

"I'd like that, Babe," Ranger said as he threw an arm around my shoulder and guided me into the elevator. "Tank's going to be just fine. Lula might kick your ass, though."

"She'll have to find me first," I said.

"I can only keep you locked up for so long before people start asking questions."

"I guess you're right. Plus, I have a date tomorrow night," I said as I smiled at Ranger when we walked out of the elevator on the fifth floor.

"I never would have thought that we'd have a problem with Sugar."

"I completely forgot about Sugar. You aren't going to try to lock my up in your bathroom are you?" I asked as I eyed him.

"No. Lester would just bust you out anyway. You've already got the poor kid wrapped around your finger," Ranger said with a light laugh as he led me into the control room.

Ranger pushed me down in a chair next to Ram. Ram turned my chair so that I was looking at the screens. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Ranger walk out the door.

"He could have at least let me take a shower," I said as I leaned back in the chair.

"I love the smell of a sweaty woman," Ram said with a crooked smile as he stared at the screens. "You and Ranger okay?"

"Yeah. I would have liked to have gotten him into the ring first, though. Kicking his ass would have been more therapeutic for me."

Ram chuckled and threw his arm around my shoulders. He gave me a half hug and then released me. After all, being too close to me can put a Merry Man in the hospital. Cal once told me that he had volunteered for 'Stephanie Duty' because he needed a vacation. He thought for sure that one day of bounty hunting with me would have him laid up for a while.

"Next time you need to do some therapeutic ass kicking," Ram whispered in my ear, "Give me a call."

I felt my face burn from a combination of embarrassment and Ram's breath. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He had a huge grin on his face. I took my left hand and did a playful upper cut to his chin. He laughed as he went back to watching the screens. Ten minutes later, I was out like a light.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I'm just playing with them.

* * *

"Are you ready, Babe?"

"About as ready as I'm ever going to be," I said as I looked over at Lester for reasurance.

"Everything will be okay," Ranger said as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm. "We have almost everyone from RangeMan here. We're piggy backing off of Sugar's GPS in your wig. Plus, you have the mic and the ear piece so that we can communicate with you. We'll grab him as soon as we find him and everything will be okay."

"I highly doubt that everything will go that smoothly," I said as I checked my reflection in the mirror over the dresser in the hotel room one more time. If I had to look like Marilyn, then I wanted to look like a smokin' hot Marilyn. By the look in Ranger's eyes. I had pulled that off.

"Babe?"

"Alright, Ranger," I said on a sigh. "Can you give me and Lester a moment?"

"Sure," Ranger said and the ducked out of the room.

"You always come out on top when shit hits the fan, Steph," Lester said as he took me into his arms. "Things always have a way of working out when it comes to you."

"I'm just a little freaked out," I whispered as I snuggled into him.

"So am I," Lester confessed into my ear.

I pulled back and looked up at Lester. I'm sure that he could read the astonishment on my face. A Merry Man had just told me that he was freaked out! That's not good, right? Lester was suppose to be a super hero! He's always suppose to be in control in these types of situations. 'Freaked out' was not suppose to be in his vocabulary.

"I'm freaked out because there are too many unknown variables," Lester said after he read my face. "For all we know, Sugar could walk up behind you and blow your brains out."

"Way to reassure me, Lester."

"I'm being realistic," Lester said as his blank face slipped on.

That was a sure sign that we needed to get this show on the road. I moved out of his arms and grabbed my purse off of the bed. Lester held the door open for me as I walked out. I was a little miffed at the fact that Lester had decided to point out the obvious danger that I was walking into. I had slipped into denial about what I was doing and Lester had chipped away at that. I left Lester in the hotel room and walked down the hall by myself. Binkie and Ram were in the elevator when I stepped in. They were out of their normal RangeMan uniform. Who knew that they were hiding great legs under those cargos, I thought as I stood in the elevator. I didn't look at either one of them as the elevator opened and more people got in. I was standing on the oppisite side of the elevator from them when someone whispered in my ear.

"There's a bar on the north side of the hotel through the casino. Meet me there in fifteen minutes."

I looked over my shoulder and looked into Sugar's eyes. _Yikes!_ He looks pissed and a little crazed. I simply nodded and turned back around to face the front of the elevator. The origional plan was for me to walk around the casino until I found Sugar, but it looks like he found me first. I was pretty sure that Ranger would get the hit that something was off when I head into the bar.

I walked off the elevator and cruised through the casino as I headed to my destination. Ram and Binkie stayed about fifty feet back to give me some playing room. I was about to head into the bar when Ranger's voice came into my ear over the ear piece.

"What are you doing?" Ranger asked.

"I'm doing what I was told," I said firmly.

"Babe."

"Sugar was in the elevator. He told me to meet him here."

"Are you sure that it was Sugar?" Ranger asked after a moment.

I didn't reply to his question as I walked into the bar. I took a seat at a small table close to a stage that a Diana Ross impersonater was singing on. He was doing a fantastic job. The only tip off that it was a man was that his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down as he belted out Reflections. Every time I hear this song, it reminds me of that show back in the 80's called China Beach. I miss that show.

I looked over as Sugar sat in the chair next to me. To say that Sugar was beautiful as a woman was an understatement. He was super model gorgeous and I hated him for it. I decided to play it cool and gave Sugar a smile before I returned my attention to the stage.

_Reflections of the way life use to be._

_Reflections of the life you took from me_.

"You need to go for a walk," Sugar whispered in my ear while we applauded Diana once she finished her song. "Don't do anything stupid. Walk back through the casino and go out the entrance on the south side of the hotel. There is a black Camery sitting in the parking lot near the doors. The keys are inside along with driving directions. You have thiry minutes."

I slowly stood up and smiled down at Sugar. He still had the crazy look in his eyes and the smile that he shot back at me was quiet sinister. I grabbed my purse off of the table and headed out of the bar after I dropped a twenty on the table to cover the drink that I hadn't touched. I mouthed 'get him' to Binkie and Ram as I passed them at the bar. They nodded as they rose.

I hit the ground at the sound of the third gun shot. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough and got hit in the right shoulder. I rolled across the floor and crouched behind some chairs as I pulled my gun out of my purse. I peared between the seats and saw Ram and Binkie laying on the ground. Neither one of them where moving. I looked a little higher over the table and I saw Sugar taking aim at Binkie's head.

I don't remember pulling the trigger. I just remember seeing Sugar fall to the ground. I kept my gun trained on Sugar as I scrambled over to Binkie and Ram. I tuned out all of the screaming around me as I checked on the Merry Men. Binkie looked up at me and grinned as he grimaced in pain. I saw Sugar shift out of the corner of my eye and I pulled the trigger one more time as Ranger rushed into the room with Tank on his heels.

The rest of the events that took place seem to be a blur. I remember giving a statement to the Atlantic City police. There was a trip to the hospital in an ambulance with Binkie. I was less concerned about my shoulder and more concerned about Binkie. I had, once again, managed to get two of the Merry Men shot. Not a good day by my normal standards. I remember a doctor telling me that my shoulder would be fine in a few months, but that they had to take me into surgery. That's all that I can clearly remember about that night.

"Babe."

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at Ranger. He looked tired. I squeezed his hand that was in mine and smiled up at him. He gave me a half smile and sat down on the side of my hospital bed.

"What time is it?" I asked in a whisper.

"Three AM Saturday morning," Ranger said after he glanced at his watch. "You've been out for a while."

"How are Ram and Binkie?" I asked after Ranger had been silently sitting next to me for a little too long.

"They'll both be fine. They had vests on under their shirts so Ram just got a broken rib. They'll release him this afternoon. Binkie will be released on Monday with you. Sugar caught him just above the vest," Ranger said quietly. "Luckily the bullet didn't hit anything as it passed through."

"How are you doing?" I asked once I noticed just how tired he really looked.

"It was a little tough while you were in surgery," Ranger admitted with a sigh. "That was a long two hours for me."

"But you're better now?"

"Yeah."

I scooted over in the bed and pulled Ranger down. We laid in bed together for what seemed like hours. Neither one of us said a word as we held each other. Nurses passed in and out, checking my shoulder and vitals. They always injected me with more painkillers just before they would leave my room. Life is good when you are on Demerol and wrapped up in Bulgari.

"Lester should be here soon," Ranger said, finally breaking our silence.

I felt my heart start to sink in my chest at the thought of Lester. He hadn't been the person that I thought he was. He had mentioned bad outcomes when I needed reassurances. He had felt distant when we had made love on Thursday night, like he was trying to pull away in case something bad happened. He wasn't even here when I woke up. Ranger was. Ranger was always the first person that I would see when shit hit the fan.

I reached down and pulled out Ranger's cell phone. I dialed Lester's cell and waited for him to pick up.

"Yo," Lester said when he answered.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"You're awake. I was just getting ready to leave the office to come and see you."

My heart twisted at the sound of the smile in his voice. This was going to be painful.

"I'll see you Monday when I get back to Trenton," I said as I tightened my grip on Ranger when he made a move to get up.

"You don't want me to come up?" Lester said in a tight voice.

"You said the wrong things."

"Steph…"

"I'm sorry, Lester," I whispered and then hung up.

I clipped Ranger's cell phone back on his hip and then settled back into his arms. This is what home feels like, I thought as Ranger started rubbing little circles on the back of my neck. I rested my head on Ranger's chest and listened to his heart slowly beat as I fell into a dreamless sleep.

I was awaken by someone pressing on my shoulder. Pain shot through my arm and I screamed. I opened my eyes to see Ranger looking down at me. He was still curled up with me in the hospital bed. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a person in a lab coat touching the back of my shoulder. I glared at him in my usual 'Burg girl' fashion.

"I'm sorry. I had to test your shoulder to make sure that there wasn't any nerve damage," he said as he backed away. "You seem to be healing nicely. We can probably release you tomorrow morning, instead of waiting for Monday."

The doctor disappeared through the door with a nervous look on his face. I settled back into Ranger's arms. It hit me then that he hadn't left the hospital at all since I got here. I tilted my head back and looked up at him. He had a good five o'clock shadow going and there were black circles under his eyes.

"Why don't you head back to Trenton and get some real rest," I whispered after I kissed his chin.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

He gave me a pained look as he slid out of the bed. He pulled his long, silky hair back into a pony tail and smoothed out his clothes. He still looked like a god after spending all this time curled up in a hospital bed. He leaned down and dropped a kiss on my forehead and tucked a curl behind my ear.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked when he stood back up.

"Maybe."

"Kick Sally out and ask Ella to move my stuff out of Lester's apartment."

"I think I can handle that," Ranger said after a moment.

"Will you be back?"

"Do you want me to come back?"

"Yes," I said without hesitating.

"Then I'll be back in a few hours," Ranger said as he opened the door to leave. "Do you want Bobby in or out?"

"In, please."

Ranger walked out and Bobby walked in. He was all smiles as he sat on the edge of my bed. I handed him the remote off of the table next to my bed and turned his head towards the TV. He turned the TV on and channel surfed for a while untill he found a football game.

"Is this okay?" Bobby asked as he grinned down at me.

"Sure," I said smiling back. I heard my stomach rumble and I blushed. "What I wouldn't do for a pizza right now."

Bobby yanked out his cell phone and dailed a number. I adjusted the head of the bed so that I was sitting up more and watched Bobby converse with someone. He shook his head and chuckled when he closed his phone.

"Brett was up visiting Binkie. He said that he would go get us some pizza. He was hungry anyway," Bobby said as he smiled at me.

We lapsed into silence as we turned our attention to the game. Bobby had climbed up on the bed and sat down at the end. It was nice to see him relaxed for once. He would occationally shout at the TV when the officials would make a bad call. Brett ended up joining us for pizza. He, too, got into the game that Bobby and I were watching. Brett and Bobby were great guys. They didn't pester me about getting shot and didn't feel the need to discuss the fact that I had killed someone.

After eating six slices of pizza, I drifted off into another dreamless sleep. I vaguely remember Bobby lowering the head of the bed and laying down beside me as he wrapped his arms around me. I felt peaceful and safe as I fell back to sleep next to Bobby.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

I slowly woke up and found myself completely wrapped around Bobby. He was having a whispered conversation with Brett, trying not to wake me up. I probably wouldn't have either, if it wouldn't have been for the fact that the pain killers were starting to wear off. I laid there quietly, ease dropping on a conversation that they probably didn't want me to hear.

"Cal said that Ella is moving her stuff out of Lester's room," Brett whispered.

"No shit?" Bobby whispered back.

"Yeah. Evidently Lester said the wrong shit to her before she left the hotel room."

"What did he say?"

"That he was freaked because there were too many unknown variables."

"Christ," Bobby whispered on a sigh. "You don't say shit like that before someone goes into that type of situation."

"No shit."

They were silent for a few minutes as they watched the game that was still playing out on TV. I smiled inside at the thought that the Merry Men were as bad as Burg house wives when it came to gossip.

"Binkie thinks that we should ask her to move in with us," Bobby whispered finally.

"Vince just moved in with his girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah. She'd have her own room and none of us would have to worry about her being on her own for a while. It was way to easy to break into her old place. I think that it's a pretty good idea."

"She might not feel all that comfortable living with you two," Brett whispered. "She's use to being on her own."

"It's not like she would have to answer to us. She'd be free to come and go just like she would at RangeMan. The upside is that she wouldn't have everyone looking over her shoulder night and day," Bobby pointed out.

"You think that she could afford to live with you guys?"

"Shit yeah! She makes good money working for Ranger part time plus the skips she picks up for Vinnie. Besides, rent on the apartment isn't that much."

"I still don't think that she'll go for it," Brett mumbled.

They both fell silent and I pondered what they had discussed. I really didn't want to stay at RangeMan. Rent free was a plus living there, but Bobby was right about being watched all of the time. It always made me feel safe at first, but then it starts to wear on me. Bobby had also been right about me being able to afford to live just about anywhere. My bank account was still stuffed and I was just adding more to it every day. The only reason why I hadn't gotten a better apartment was because I loved my little place. It was my home.

"Yow!" I shouted when someone pressed my shoulder.

"Sorry, Steph," Bobby said when I opened my eyes and looked at him. "The doctor said that he needed to take a look at your shoulder."

I glared over my shoulder at the man in a white coat. He looked down at me nervously and then slowly backed away. I seriously needed to get out of here if they were going to continue to poke at me. I settled back into the hospital bed and leaned my head on Bobby's chest as the nurse shot me full of more drugs and the disappeared like the doctor.

"What time is it?" I asked Bobby.

"Nine PM."

"Saturday night?"

"Yep."

"Do you think that I can threaten the next nurse that walks through the door into letting me out of here?" I whined.

"The nurses seem to be tougher then the doctors," Brett said with a laugh. "You may want to save your breath, Bomber."

I heard my stomach growl and then realized how badly I had to pee. I unwrapped myself from Bobby and slowly climbed out of bed. I forgot that I was still in one of those damn hospital gowns until Brett whistled when I walked past him. They both laughed at the saucy smile I threw over my shoulder as I walked into the bathroom, not bothering to close the back of my gown. The pain killers that the nurse just shot me up with were making me feel flirtatious.

I quickly dealt with nature and then made my way back to the bed. I shot Brett a questioning look when I noticed that my bed was missing a Merry Man. Bobby had vacated the bed. I looked around the room and noticed that he had vacated the room as well.

"It was his turn to go get food," Brett said as he stood up.

Brett helped me into the bed and climbed in with me. I was starting to feel a little cheap, but the pain killers helped me get past that feeling. He grabbed the remote and started channel surfing after I snuggled into him and got comfortable. He finally came to a stop on _Everybody Loves Raymond_. It was an episode that I had already seen, but I didn't really mind all that much if it made Brett happy.

"Am I really so easily replaced?" Bobby asked as he walked in a short while later with several bags from McDonald's.

"No one could ever replace you," I said as I smiled at Bobby. "Brett was just keeping your spot warm."

"And she discards me like yesterday's underwear," Brett said with a laugh.

"You know that you two have some explaining to do," I said as I took a burger and a coke from Bobby.

"What do you mean?" Brett asked as he climbed off the bed and returned to his chair.

"Why do you guys feel the need to climb into bed with me?" I asked around a mouth full of food as I eyed the two Merry Men.

Bobby looked over at Brett for a moment and then smiled at me. He shrugged and then simply said, "We love you."

"I'm not in the market for another fling with a Merry Man," I said as I shook a finger at them.

"Not that kind of love, Steph," Brett said with a laugh. "Sisterly love."

"Oh," I said, truly relieved. It was bad enough that I would have to face Lester in the office after our short lived relationship went down the drain. I wasn't about to go bed hopping my way through the Merry Men. That would have put a lot more strain on my friend ship with Ranger.

"I called Ranger while I was out grabbing food," Bobby said as he climbed onto the foot of my bed. "He asked me to tell you that some things had come up at the office and he wouldn't be able to come back up tonight. He said that he would be here early in the morning to spring you out of here."

"That's okay," I said after I tossed my wrapper in one of the bags and grabbed another burger. I was a little bummed, but I understood that he has a business to run. "Who's on 'Stephanie Watch' tonight?"

"Hal should be here soon," Brett said with a mouth full of food.

I was enjoying my pain killer high and eating my double cheese burger when I had a funny thought. I turned to Bobby and opened my mouth to show him my mashed up burger. Bobby grinned at me and opened his mouth to show me his mashed up Big Mac. We both turned and show Brett out food. He had been taking a drink from his soda and choked out a laugh. He started coughing really hard and Bobby got up and hit him in the back a few times. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, I thought.

"That was great," Brett said once he got himself under control. "I wish I had a camera."

Bobby took a huge bite out of his burger and threw his cell phone at Brett. Bobby nodded at me and I took a big bite out of my burger and quickly chewed it up. I scooted over on the bed and leaned into Bobby. He threw his arm around my waist and brought my face next to his. We both looked over at Brett and stuck our loaded tongues out at him.

"That is so gross," Brett said with a huge grin as he took the picture.

Bobby released me and took his phone back from Brett. He brought the picture up and showed it to me. Luckily I had been able to tame my hair some when I went to the bathroom, so I didn't look too bad. Brett had been right, though. It was really gross to see what our burgers looked like when they were chewed up. I watched as Bobby sent the picture to every employee at RangeMan, Trenton.

Bobby's cell phone rang moments later. He smirked when he read the caller id and answered the call on speaker phone.

"Yo," Bobby said.

"That's sick," Tank said. "Are you guys really that bored?"

"It was my fault," I called out.

"I should have known that," Tank said with a laugh and the disconnected.

We chatted our way through the rest of our dinner. Bobby and Brett seemed like two regular guys visiting a friend in the hospital. They joked around and told me stories about some of the things that they had done since they started working for Ranger. I knew better then to push for stories about when they were Rangers. It always boiled down to the 'if I tell you then I'll have to kill you' bull shit. Everything was always some how related to 'national security' when it came to the years that they had spent in the service.

Hal came in a short while later and shook his head sadly at his phone. I guess he had just noticed that he had received the picture. He grabbed the chair out of the corner and brought it over by the bed. I tossed him a burger and Brett handed him a watered down soda.

"It would have been fresh if you would have gotten here on time," Bobby said after he made a disgusted face after he took a drink of soda.

"Sorry," Hal said after he took a bite from his burger. "I had to take care of that thing that Binkie wanted me to do."

Statements worded like that always pique my interest. Vaguely worded and had to interpret. I looked over at Bobby and waited for him to explain. For that effort, I got a blank look. He wasn't going to explain. I seriously doubted that it had anything to do with anything top secret.

Brett and Bobby hung out for another half an hour and then took off. Hal was looking a little tired and I conned him into getting in bed with me. I had managed to get use to sleeping next to a warm body and I found the Hal was like a furnace. I snuggled into him and we both drifted off to sleep wrapped around each other.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

I wasn't really ready to wake up, so I snuggled into the warm body next to me. Warm body? My brain slowly started working and I remembered that I was still in the hospital and the hard chest that I was leaning my head on belonged to Hal. By the way, not a bad way to wake up in the morning. He may be a Merry Man, but he has one hell of a fantastic body.

The low chuckle that came from behind me alerted me to the fact that I may have moaned as I snuggled into Hal. Hal let out his own chuckle when me body tensed up. I leaned back and tilted my head up to glare at Hal. The smile and dancing eyes told me that he was quit amused with me. Most of the Merry Men were in the morning. I guess they thought that my not so sunny morning disposition was cute.

I slowly rolled out of the hospital bed and noted that Ranger was back as I made my way to the bathroom to answer natures call. While I was relieving myself, I noticed a black duffle bag that was sitting on the bathroom floor. Once I finished, I sat on the floor and opened the bag. I pulled out a black tank top, black cargo pants, black bra with matching thong, black socks, and black boots. Ella sent me clothes. I did a quick wash up with a wash clothe, since there wasn't a shower, and grimaced as I threw my hair up in a pony tail. First thing on my list of things to do when I get back to RangeMan is a shower.

"Yo," I said to Ranger with a head nod as I exited the bathroom while I situated my right arm back into its sling. "Are you springing me out of here, or what?"

"I've already got your release forms and your prescription for more pain killers," Ranger said as he grabbed the duffle bag and handed me my purse. Thank God someone had it. I hadn't seen it since the bar.

Ranger wasn't exactly looking all that great this morning. He had dark circles under his eyes and his clothes looked a little rumpled. The rumpled clothes were what worried me the most. He had a way of always looking freshly pressed and well groomed. Today, he looked like a walking disaster. Kind of like me on a normal day.

"Are you okay?" I asked as we started walking down the hall towards the elevator. Hal was a few feet ahead of us and out of ear shot. "You look like hell."

"Thanks, Babe," Ranger said as he put his arm around me waist. "I had a really long night. Then, I had to come back up here to get you. I'll be better after I get a shower and a nap."

"You didn't have to come back here to get me," I said as we stepped in the elevator. "Hal could have brought me back."

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay. That's what friends do, Babe."

"Not at the risk of your health, Ranger," I chided. "I'm driving back to Trenton and I don't want to have to stun you if you fight me on this."

Hal chuckled and Ranger gave me a 200 watt smile. I don't mind that I'm amusing them right now. Hal already knew that I wouldn't think twice about stunning any one if I had to. The questioning look in his eyes was over whether, or not, I would actually stun Ranger if I had to.

"I would," I said as I smiled up at Hal.

Realization settled into me as I watched a surprised look flash over Hal's face. I looked over at Ranger and his body was shaking in silent laughter. I had finally pulled off an ESP moment with a Merry Man! It was totally unexpected. I was at a lose for words.

"That was great, Babe," Ranger said as he leaned over and kissed my forehead as the shock started to wear off.

"Quick," I said as I started to bounce up and down. "I need more Merry Men!"

That earned me full hearted laughs from Hal and Ranger. We walked out to the parking lot and Hal took off in one of the RangeMan Broncos. I patiently held out my hand for the keys to the Porsche. Ranger finally caved and tossed me the keys as he made his way to the passenger side. I couldn't hold the moan that escaped my lips as I slid behind the wheel and onto the butter soft leather.

We were half way to Trenton when I realized how quiet it was. I looked over and saw that Ranger was past out. The dark circles were slowly stating to fade as we approached Trenton. I noted the three quarters tank of gas that we had and kept driving along the freeway. I pulled my cell out as we past the exit ramp that would have led us back to the office.

"Tank."

"Hey, it's Steph," I said in a whisper.

"Where are you going?" Tank asked.

"I letting Ranger get some sleep. Shut down his cell for me. I'll head back whenever he wakes up," I whispered and then disconnected the call. I put my phone on silence and placed it back in my pocket.

I ended up taking 195 east to toll route 9. I took that south for a while and ended back in Atlantic city. I then took the Atlantic City Expressway north west, again. towards Philadelphia. I turned onto the 295 and was almost to the out skirts of Trenton when Ranger finally woke up. I watched him stretch and wiggle out of the corner of my eye.

"Sleeping Beauty awakes," I joked.

"I thought that was my line," Ranger said with a sleepy laugh.

"Enjoy your nap?"

"Yeah. How long was I out for?"

"Long enough for us to get to Trenton and go back to Atlantic City and then back to Trenton," I said as I turned onto Haywood.

"Damn."

"You were tired. I had Tank turn off your cell and I put my on silent so that you could get some rest," I said as I pulled my phone back out and reset the volume on the ringer.

"You didn't have to do that, Babe," Ranger said as we pulled into the garage.

"That's what friends are for," I said as I smiled over at him.

"How's your shoulder?" Ranger asked as we climbed out of the Porsche.

"A little stiff, but it doesn't really hurt all that much anymore," I said as I rounded the car and headed to the elevator.

The doors opened as we walked over to the elevator. Bobby came walking out with a large grin plastered across his face. He gave Ranger a head nod as he slipped his arm around my waist and turned me around. He ushered me over to his Harley without saying a word. Bobby picked me up and placed me on the back before he climbed on. I usually don't like going with the flow without asking questions first, but the reassuring smile that was on Ranger's lips helped me let a few things slide by.

Bobby secured a helmet on my head before putting his on and firing up the bike. I used my only good arm and wrapped it around bobby's waist as he slowly pulled out of the garage. He wound us through the light traffic on Haywood and then turned onto a side street about a mile down. That's when I realized that he was taking me to his apartment.

Several things hit me all at once. The conversation that Bobby and Brett had about me living with Bobby and Binkie. Hal's little job for Binkie. Bobby saying that he had to go clean up his apartment last night when he left the hospital. Shit! The guys moved me into Bobby and Binkie's apartment without talking to me about it first. That was such a Merry Man thing to do.

Bobby brought his bike to a stop just outside a tall apartment building. He shut the bike down and then climbed off as he removed his helmet. I sat on the bike and stared at him as I felt my temper start to rise. He had a lot of nerve high jacking my life like this. It is my decision on where I want to live!

"Take a big, deep breath," Bobby said as he removed my helmet. "And for god sake, don't start waving your arms around."

"Bobby…" I had found myself at a lose of words.

"It's not going to be as bad as you think, Steph," Bobby said as he pulled me off the bike and started steering me towards the building. "The building is owned by RangeMan. There is a security camera in the lobby and the garage under ground and that's it. Binkie and I are always coming and going, so you can too."

I let Bobby guide me into the building and over to the elevators. We rode up to the top floor in silence. I watched him pull out a key fob, much like the ones that we use at the office, and use it on one of the four apartment that were located on that floor. He stopped before he opened the door and turned to me as he pointed at one of the other doors.

"Hal and Cal are moving over there next week and Ram and Lester are in number three down the hall."

"Why are all of you guys living here?" I asked as I realized that a lot of the Merry Men were living in this building.

"Ranger bought this building about a year ago," Bobby said as he opened the door and ushered me in. "He needs more space at the office and wants to get rid of most of the apartments. We were given the option to live here, or try to find a place elsewhere. The rent is a lot cheaper here then I was able to find anywhere else, so Binkie, Vince, and I moved in here about six months ago."

The entry way of the apartment emptied out into the living room. Binkie was on a large, overstuffed, black leather couch with his feet propped up on a glass top coffee table. He gave me a wave and then returned his attention to a movie that was playing on an extremely large flat screen TV that hung on the wall across from him. Ram was sitting in a black leather recliner that was leaned as far back as one would think possible.

"Welcome to the building, Bomber," Ram said as he lifted his coffee mug towards me.

The apartment was definitely decorated by men. There weren't any pictures on the walls and there weren't any personal touches at all. There was a very dead spider plant sitting on the counter in the kitchen that opened up on the right. I guess they get half a point for trying. Bobby placed a hand on my back and pushed me down the hall way. He'd stop at each door and open it to show me what was inside.

The first door on the left was Binkie's room. King size bed, nine drawer oak dresser, oak night stand, large flat screen TV hanging on the wall. That's it. The only door on the right was to a large bathroom. Two sink counter top, garden style bath tub, shower stall, and a urinal. Go fig! The next door down the hall way was to Bobby's room. It was just like Binkie's except there was a rug beside the bed. There was one more door at the end of the hall. Bobby grinned down at me and then opened the door.

I froze in the doorway. This was definitely Ella's doing without a doubt. A nine drawer oak dresser sat along the wall to the left that I shared with Bobby. There was a blue lamp and a crystal vase that had red roses in it sitting on the dresser. An over stuffed, blue suede couch sat along the next wall under a large picture window. The window had blue curtains, the same color of the couch, that were pulled back to let natural light in. I swept my eyes across the king size bed. Blue bedspread and large pillows. Oak night stands on either side of the bed.

Bobby placed his hand on the top of my head and turned it to the right. I felt a tear roll down my cheek at the sight of the walk-in closet. I moved towards the door and saw all of my clothes hanging on the left and a bunch of cubbies and drawers on the right. Bobby moved past me and opened the door at the other end that I had completely missed. It opened into a bathroom.

I felt another tear roll down my cheek when my eyes settled on the garden size, Jacuzzi bath tub. There was also a two sink counter and a shower stall. I noted the three shower heads in the stall and smiled as I turned around to look at Bobby. The bathroom faintly smelled of Calvin Klein. That was Bobby's signature scent.

"Please tell me that you didn't give up this room for me," I said with a weak laugh.

"Okay. I won't," Bobby said with a mile wide grin.

I was so touched by his gesture that I was speechless. I few more tears fell as I walked over to Bobby and threw my arm around his waist and hugged him. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and leaned his cheek on top of my head.

"This is your home now," Bobby whispered. "Binkie and I are your family for as long as you want us."

"Then I'm the luckiest girl in the world," I said as I tilted my head up and kissed Bobby on the cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: JE owns the character.

* * *

I groaned when I was awaken by the knocking on my door. I rolled my head to my left and pried one eye open to look at the alarm clock next to my bed. 7:00 A.M. I momentarily thought about shooting who ever was on the other side of the door. I heard the light knocking again and sighed as I closed my eyes. They weren't going to go away any time soon. 

"Enter," I called out from my horizontal position in my bed. I wasn't about to get up.

I heard the door slowly open. That's it. Just the door. No body said anything. There was just silence. I heaved my head up as I opened my eyes and saw Ram standing in my door way. He was wearing a pair of blue basketball shorts and what looked like probably ten ace bandages wrapped around his expansive chest. He looked rumpled and tired. I dropped my head back down and closed my eyes. Silence hung in the air for a few more minutes. I never did well in silent situations, especially when a Merry Man was involved. They had a way of making me start to babble incoherently and I really wasn't up for that at the moment.

"What?" I sighed as I snuggled deeper into my bed. I winced as pain shot through my shoulder.

"I'm bound to your apartment while every one else is at work. Binkie won't get up. Can I lay down with you?" Ram whispered.

"Why not," I said as I grabbed my pain pills off of the night stand and popped one that I chased with the bottle of water that Bobby had left next to it.

Ram slowly walked over to the vacant side of my bed and pulled the covers back. He tossed the pillow at my head and gently slid in. I eyed him as he laid flat on my bed and started staring at the ceiling. Probably the only comfortable position to lay down in if you have a few broken ribs, right? He reached out and pulled me over to snuggle into his side as he closed his eyes. We laid there silently for a few minutes until my stomach rumbled. Seconds later, Ram's stomach rumbled. It brought a smile to my lips because it sounded like they were talking to each other. I moaned as I rolled out of bed and landed on my knees as I hit the floor. I glared across the bed when I heard Ram chuckle.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," I said with a tight smile. "I might forget to bring you anything to eat."

Ram quickly sober at the thought of not eating. I slowly stood up and flipped Ram a rude Italian gesture when he whistled as I headed for the door. I had realized, as I walked down the hallway, that I had climbed into bed last night in just a tank top and a pair of lacy black briefs after I took my second shower of the day. I guess that my modesty had flown out the window this morning because I didn't run into my closet and grab shorts.

I hunted through the fridge and cabinets and came up with a couple of boxes of cereal. I was brewing a pot of coffee when Binkie stumbled into the kitchen. He, too, was just in basketball shorts. They hung deliciously low on his narrow hips. There was definitely an upside to living in the same apartment as Binkie. He was one of the quieter Merry Men, but the quiet side just barely covered his raw sexual nature. He was more rumpled then Ram and I felt my hormones kick into over drive at the sight that stood before me. Disheveled blonde hair, lazy hazel eyes, muscles on top of muscles. Were basketball shorts a staple in the Merry Men's wardrobe? He was half asleep as he walked over and gave me a hug and a pat on the ass before he turned his attention to the fridge. I had noticed a while back that food was first priority for the Merry Men in the morning. It was likely that Ram had actually already eaten this morning and the breakfast that I was throwing together was just a snack.

I handed Binkie a cup of coffee after it had finished brewing and watched him down it in one gulp. He leaned against the counter next to me and shook his head to clear his sleepy haze as I pulled together breakfast. He glanced over at me and then did a double take. His lips started to twitch as his eyes ran down my body and then back up to my face. I gave him a grin as I balanced my tray of food on my left hand and headed back to my room. I giggled silently as I heard him quickly follow me down the hall.

I found Ram in the same position that I had left him in. Staring at the ceiling. I nodded Binkie over to my bed and placed the tray over Rams hips so that the legs of the tray were on either side of him. He smiled up at me and I ruffled his thick brown hair as I handed him the remote to my TV. I padded my way into my glorious closet and started looking for something comfortable to wear. Breakfast could wait while I enjoyed another trip into my heavenly shower. I decided on another tank top and a pair of sweats.

I was about to walk into the bathroom when a sound from the TV made me freeze in my tracks. I slowly started walking backwards out of my closet. I continued walking backwards until I came to a stop in front of my TV. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! It was beyond anything I had ever expected. I started walking backwards again until I was standing next to Ram. The pictures that were racing across the screen had momentarily captured my full attention. I sunk down on the bed and gaped at the TV.

"What in the hell!" I shouted when I finally came to my senses. I jumped off the bed and grabbed the remote from Binkie. I quickly changed the channel and then handed the remote over to Ram. "You can't watch porn in my room!"

I heard Ram mutter 'I told you it was a bad idea' as I walked back towards my bathroom. I slammed my bathroom door shut and leaned my head against the wall. Men! I thought as I lightly beat my head against the wall. I took a quick, thirty minute, shower and tried to tame my hair. Not all that easy one handed. I was starting to look forward to physical therapy. Bobby had said that we could do it here since there was a gym on the first floor.

I cautiously put my ear to the door to try to hear what they were watching. It sounded like sports commentary. That had to be safe, right? I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that they were watching an old football game on ESPN Classics. I did the balancing act with the tray and took it back into the kitchen. They had managed to wipe out two boxes of cereal, a carton of juice, and a carton of milk. I didn't even want to think about the grocery bills.

I grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl that sat on the counter and made my way into the living room. I had spotted a DVD collection in the corner and I had to see what the guys liked to watch. Lots of action, some comedy, a little bit of horror, and… what the… MORE PORN! There had to be like a hundred DVDs below the horror section. My God! What had I gotten myself into? There were more pornos here then there were in the Pleasure Treasure's whole inventory! EW!

I quickly grabbed a few DVDs that I hadn't seen before out of the action section and ran back to my bedroom. I made a mental note to ask the guys to hide the porn somewhere else later. I held the movies over Ram's head and let him pick the first movie of the day. We sat through National Treasure with out any interruptions. Thank God for that little miracle. I have a small crush on Nicolas Cage and I was really enjoying the movie.

Val ended up showing up at the front door about half way through _U-571_. That was a large disappointment. Sweaty men running around in a submarine in uniform. Add Matthew McConaughey and you had a girl's best wet dream. Val dropped off Rex and said that Mom was threatening her with the end of dessert if she didn't come and check to see if I was still alive. Since I was, Val was instructed to inform me that if I didn't stop by the house soon… I had a mental flash of my life without pineapple-up-side-down-cake. It wasn't pretty and I felt the overwhelming need to crawl into the fetal position and cry.

See, here's the thing. I love my mom. She's a great cook and every time I drop off my laundry, it gets done. That's where the greatness stops. It seems like recently, every time I stop by, I've become more of a disappointment to my mother. I have a terrible job that often lands me in garbage, or on the front page of the paper, and I'm not married with 2.5 kids. Now, I'm living with two men. I felt my stomach roll at the thought of what Grandma was going to say about this.

I promised Val that I would try to get to the house as soon as I could and pushed her out the door. That was the last thing that I really wanted to deal with. Things had rapidly changed in my life over the last week and I was still trying to get my bearings. I walked back down the hallway to my room and found Binkie and Ram past out on my bed. I leaned against the door jam and watched them sleep for a few minutes. They were like big brothers and I felt all warm and fuzzy inside when I realized how happy I was to have them in my life.

I was brought out of my fuzzy feelings when I heard the locks tumble in the front door. I instinctively grabbed my gun off of my dresser and aimed it at the door. Bobby froze mid step when he saw me aiming at him. I blew out my breath and shook my head at how stupid my actions had been. I was in a building owned by RangeMan. I was just as safe here as I was at RangeMan. I sat my gun back on my dresser and walked down the hallway towards Bobby.

"Sorry," I said as I wrapped myself around Bobby's waist.

"You just need time to adjust. Until then, I think that I might start wearing a vest," Bobby said with a chuckle as he wrapped his arms around me gently. "Give it a few weeks and everything will calm down. It'll help once you get back to work."

"When's that gonna be, doc?" I asked as Bobby maneuvered me into the kitchen.

"Ranger said that you three have to take this week off. Then you can come back and be on desk duty until you are one hundred percent," Bobby said as he started opening cabinets and rummaging around.

"You wanna run that by me one more time," I said as confusion set in.

"Ranger called Vinnie this morning. RangeMan is back in the BEA business until you get better. Until that happens, you are on desk duty at RangeMan," Bobby said as he pulled out some pasta and a jar of Prego. He saw the face that I made at the jar. "Not all of us are Italian chefs. Spaghetti sauce, around here, comes out of a jar unless you know how to make sauce from scratch."

I watched Bobby move around the kitchen and start on lunch. Once he got everything under way, he came over to examine my shoulder. I winced when he started rotating my arm after he took the sling off. He took pity on me and started massaging my shoulder and back. I think that I might have moaned when my eyes rolled into the back of my head because I heard Bobby lightly chuckle. I felt disappointment flood through me when he moved away to check on the pasta.

"You can probably leave the sling off for now. Where are the boys?" Bobby asked as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"They're asleep," I couldn't resist quickly adding, "in my bed. I guess I wore them out."

Bobby choked on the water that he had just started drinking. He prayed water all over the kitchen floor and the front of his shirt. My mouth fell open as he pulled his shirt off and placed it on the counter. I was either going to have to get laid soon, or I was going to be in deep trouble. Bobby grinned down at me when he caught me staring at his ripped abs. I smiled sheepishly as I checked my chin for drool.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the day, anyway?" I asked as I watched him stir the pasta.

"I took the rest of the day off," Bobby said with a shrug.

"You took the rest of the day off?" I said giving him an incredulous look. "How will they be able to handle the rest of the day without you?"

"I can only hope that the building doesn't crumble in my absence," Bobby said with a cheesy grin.

"You wanna watch a movie with me?" I asked after Bobby drained the pasta and threw it in a large bowl.

"Sure," he said as he poured the sauce over the noodles and then mixed it all together. "Why don't you go see if you find anything interesting in my room. Look in my closet."

I cruised out of the kitchen and made my way down the hall. I checked on Binkie and Ram. They hadn't moved a muscle. I opened Bobby's door and made my way over to his closet. I held my breath, making a silent prayer that I wouldn't find more porn, and opened the door. Normal people have clothes in their closet. Bobby had book shelves crammed with VHS tapes, DVDs, and books. It was there, that I found Bobby's secret. Chick flicks.

"If you tell anyone, _anyone_, they will never find your body," Bobby said as he towered over me.

I hadn't heard him come into the room and he had scared the crap out of me. I grabbed my chest with my left hand and waited for my heart to stop pounding as I gazed up at him. The look on his face said that he was serious, but the light in his eyes said that he was kind of playing.

"Don't worry Bobby," I said as I smiled up at my new favorite Merry Man. "I'll take your secret to the grave."

Bobby went back out to the kitchen to grab two bowls of spaghetti and a couple of sodas as I perused his DVD collection. I settled on _Moulin Rouge _after Bobby had suggested it. I had seen the movie about a million times and I didn't think that one more time would kill me. We quickly ate and did a little small talk before we snuggled into each other and turned the movie on.

Bobby had surprised me when he had started singing along with some of the songs to the movie. He had been keeping his deep, velvet voice in hiding. We ended up singing the lovers song to each other. _Come What May_. Bobby had pulled me up on the bed so that we were kneeling in front of each other. He had his right hand laced in my hair and his left arm was wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. I had my right hand on his perfect ass and my left hand was resting on his bare chest.

I had watched his eyes go from their natural amber shade to a rich chocolate as we sang to each other. It felt like he was pouring everything that he had into this one song. I had watched his facial expressions change through the song and it clinked into place in my head when his lips crashed down on mine at the end of the song. I had frozen for a split second and then the world slipped away as his tongue entered my mouth. I brought my left hand up his chest and round the back of his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss.

I was brought back to reality when I heard a throat being cleared from behind me. I felt my face burn as I broke the kiss and buried my face in Bobby's chest. I felt Bobby's arms tighten around me and the mood in the room quickly shifted. The tension in the room was so thick that it was making it difficult for me to breath.

"What?" Bobby demanded.

"Not a wise move, Bobby," Ram said from the door way.

* * *

A/N: My muse isn't focused and I think that I might have gotten off track. I need help on if I can take the kiss anywhere, or if I should drop it. -Kate


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

Sorry that this is a short chapter.

* * *

Bobby slowly released me and sat back on his heals. He reached out and tucked a curl behind my ear and gave me a small smile. What in the hell just happened?

"I'm sorry," Bobby whispered.

"You don't have to apologies to me, Bobby," I whispered back as I looked down at our entwined hands. "But, I think that we both know that _we_ can't happen."

I saw something flash across Bobby's face just before he slammed his blank face on. I hated it when they did that to me. I know that it was their own defense mechanism, but it really bugged the hell out of me.

"Don't you dare do that to me, Bobby," I chided. "Don't shut me out."

I watched Bobby's blank face slip away and I only saw sadness. Did he really think that I was rejecting him for who he was? Did he really not know how much he meant to me? He had always been there to help me get back on my feet. He had stayed at the hospital with me all night long in the tiny bed and hadn't complained about it once. He never made me feel stupid or inept when it came to my job. He was always one of the first people to tell me that things weren't as bad as they seemed and that everything would work out. He had faith in me. How could he not see how much I needed and loved him?

"Bobby," I said on a sigh as I shook my head. I was going to have to spell this one out for him. "You are one of my best friends. I love you like a brother. I need you to help me get physically better while I work on getting my life back together."

"A brother," Bobby whispered.

"I can't keep jumping from one relationship to another. It's not healthy for me to keep doing that to myself," I said quietly. "The Joe and Ranger situation really screwed with my head. Then, I made things worse by jumping head first into something with Lester. I need to try to find myself and what I want before I try to get involved with someone else. I hope that you can under stand that I need you as a friend right now."

Bobby sat there a shook his head for a moment. I could see in his eyes that his mind was trying to comprehend what I was telling him. He let out a defeated sigh and dropped his head. I felt my chest tighten as I watched his shoulder sag. I used my finger to lift his chin until we made eye contact and my throat started to close up when I saw the pain in his eyes.

"I need your help, Bobby," I whispered with a smile. I didn't trust my voice with anything over a whisper. He was slowly breaking my heart into a million pieces. It was a strange feeling to have for one of the Merry Men. "Please."

"I'll help you," Bobby said on a whoosh of air.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him. He gently embraced me and lightly kissed my hair. We were going to have a long road ahead of us and I didn't think that Bobby knew exactly what he had signed up for. He and Binkie would be the two biggest keys in my new plan of action. Tomorrow was the big day to start my new plan and my life was only going to get better. I pulled back slightly to look into Bobby's eyes.

"Better?" I asked.

"A little," he said with a weak smile.

"Bad timing."

"No shit."

"I think that I need to go talk to Ram about knocking," I said as I moved out of he arms. "Do you think that he might take me seriously if I threaten to stun him?"

"He'd just have to ask Hal," Bobby said with a laugh.

I smiled at the sound of his deep laugh and felt my chest loosen. Things would be okay with Bobby and that meant more to me then he would ever know. Hopefully he'll still be here when I am ready for Plan B. I was still working out the details on that plan, but I was starting to figure out the foundation and I knew that he would be in the center of it all.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

_Tuesday._

"I need a favor."

"What's up, Babe?" Ranger asked as he leaned back in his chair behind his desk.

"I need to borrow one of your Merry Men for the afternoon," I said as I sat in the chair on the other side of the desk from him.

"Which One?" Ranger said as he eyed me closely.

"I need Hal," I said with my most innocent smile.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing illegal or immoral."

"Babe."

"Ranger," I said with a big grin. "Can I have my Merry Man, or not?"

"He's in the control room. Please, bring him back in one piece."

"Very funny," I said in a dryly.

I wondered out of Ranger's office and headed towards the control room. Most of the guys were just getting back from lunch and it ended up taking me a half an hour to get to the control room. All of the guys stopped me to check and see how I was doing. I even got the chance to see Lester. He gave me a light hug and a kiss on the cheek. Evidently, Bobby had taken it into his own hands to explain how I was feeling. Thank God for small miracles. I wasn't really looking forward to that conversation with Lester.

Hal was patiently waiting for me in the control room. Ranger had already called him and told him that he was going out with me. He had his blank face on, but I could still see the wariness in his eyes. I sat down in the empty chair next to him and simply smiled. I think that I made him a little nervous because he started drumming his fingers on the desk.

"What's going on, Bomber?" Hal asked cautiously.

I couldn't really blame Hal for being nervous around me. After all, I had stunned him with his own stun gun in the RangeMan garage. It had been caught on tape and the guys taunted him over it for months. They still tease him every once in a while. At the time I had felt a little guilty over doing it. Once I found out that the guys were ragging him over it, I felt ten times as guilty. Hal was a great guy that I had come to trust and respect over the years. It kind of bummed me out that he was wary of me.

"It's not as bad as you think, Hal," I said as I sadly shook my head. "I promise that you won't get stunned or shot at."

I chuckled when I saw relief flash through Hal's sky blue eyes. I stood up and held my hand out to him as I nodded towards the door. He grabbed my hand as he stood up and then damn near dragged me out of the control room. I guess that I wasn't moving fast enough, because I quickly found myself thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Watch her shoulder, Hal!" Bobby shouted from the other side of the office as Hal ran with me over his shoulder towards the elevator.

I gave Bobby a thumbs up that I was okay and then slapped Hal's ass when he started to slow down. His paced picked back up and he ended up hitting the door that led to the stair well at full speed. I laughed and screamed all the way down the stairs. It was a terrifying experience, but the excitement of the unknown over powered all of the real fear. Before I knew it, I was being set back down on my feet in the garage. Hal let out a bark of laughter as he threw his arms around me when he saw the terrified expression that I had thrown on my face at the last second.

"You know that you loved every second of that," Hal said once he got himself under control.

"Only because your ass was in my face the whole time," I teased with a chuckle.

"Am I driving?" Hal asked.

"Yeah, but you're driving my car," I said as I tossed him my keys.

"Your car sucks," Hal said on a sigh.

"That's why your going to help me find a new one," I said as I grinned up at him.

I watched Hal's face turn from mildly irritated to shocked to extremely happy. I had never seen a Merry man jump in one of my piece of shit cars so fast in my life. I chuckled as I walked over to my car and climbed in. Hal started up the car and motored out of the garage.

"What are we looking for?" Hal asked as he eased out into traffic on Haywood.

"Something that will help me with my job as a bounty hunter. Something that has room to put a skip in the back, but that I can also use in a high speed chase."

"Why don't you just take one of the RangeMan Broncos?" Hal asked as he weaved us in and out of traffic.

"I don't want to take one of the Broncos. I need one of my own vehicles. I wouldn't mind a Bronco, though."

"Then it's settled," Hal said as he speeded up. "We need a Ford dealership."

I suddenly felt like we were in a NASCAR race. My poor little car was rolling from side to side as Hal maneuvered through all of the traffic. I held my breath as he kept going faster. I glanced at the speedometer and my heart froze in my chest. NINETY!

"Hal!" I shouted as I white knuckled the 'Oh Shit' bar above my head.

Hal glanced down at the speedometer, but didn't let his foot of the gas peddle. He gave me a devilish grin and then looked back out the windshield. For a moment there, I saw my life start to flash before my eyes. It wasn't very pretty. A lot of very embarrassing moments that I would love to have erased from my memory.

Hal brought us to a screeching halt in the parking lot of one of the Ford dealerships. I threw the door open and flung myself on the asphalt. I pepper the parking lot with kisses due to the overwhelming happiness that I felt about being out of the car. I rolled over on my back and said a silent prayer to God for sparing my life. Hal's face came into my view and I saw that his eyes were alive and sparkling. He really enjoyed scaring the shit out of me. I gave him a rude Italian hand gesture before I excepted the hand that he was offering to me.

We cruised around the lot for a little while before I finally saw it. It was a 2006 black Ford Bronco. I stopped in my tracks and grabbed Hal's arm. He followed my gaze to the Bronco. He tilted his head back and let out a bark of laughter as he slid his arm around my neck. He kissed the top of my head and then dragged me over to the Bronco. It looked just like a RangeMan Bronco on the outside. Hal opened the driver's door and climbed in.

"How do I look?" he asked as he beamed down at me.

"You're suppose to ask me that question," I said dryly.

Hal chuckled as he climbed out and then threw me in. The last almost new vehicle that I had gotten was my precious little Miata. I got a little teary eyed when I smelled the new car smell. I looked down at the odometer and saw that there were only a thousand miles on it. I glanced around the inside and thought that it made a practical choice for my needs.

I heard Hal on his cell phone. He was requesting a Carfax report and a Kelly Blue Book value on the Bronco. I only needed one guess as to who he was talking to. I crawled into the back seat to check things out from back there. It looked like there was plenty of room for a skip to kick it while I took them in. I fiddled with the back seats and got them to lay down. More then enough room if I had to hog tie a skip.

I was drawn out of my investigation of the vehicle when I heard Hal call out for me. I stuck my head out the driver's side door and saw that Hal was standing with a very short Hispanic man in a suit. Hmmmm. Car sales man. My favorite. Not!

"Angel Fuentes," Hal said as he pointed to me. "This is my wife, Stephanie."

I was thrown for a moment and then decided to go with the flow on this one. I climbed out of the Bronco and walked over to Hal's side. I smiled at the car sales man and held out my hand. He politely shook my hand and smiled at me.

"Honey," Hal said. "Angel just moved here from Mexico."

"Really," I said as I smiled up at Hal. If he wanted to play around, then I was game. "That's where we honeymooned."

Hal smiled down at me and said, "Remember that night on the beach."

I covered my mouth as I giggled and forced myself to blush.

"So," Angel said. "You like the Bronco?"

"Yes," Hal said. He slung an arm around my neck and then pointed at my car. "My little Sugar Pie is driving that little piece of crap over there. I'd like to put her in something that has a little bit more room and a lot more around it."

"The Bronco is a good choice. The gas mileage isn't that great, but it is top of the line in safety," Angel said.

"Sugar Pie," Hal said as he tilted my head up to look into his eyes with the tips of his fingers. "Do you want the Bronco?"

"Yes, Love Muffin," I said with a cheeky grin. "It's so big and pretty and it still has that new car smell."

Hal let out a bark of laughter that you could have probably heard all over the lot. I watched as Hal haggled over the price and got Angel to drop five grand off the listed total. With trading in my car and the reduced price that Hal got Angel down to, I only ended up paying seventeen thousand on the Bronco. I even got to drive it out of the lot.

"What else did you need me for?" Hal asked once he finally got done fiddling with the radio.

"We need to go see Sunny," I said as I smiled over at Hal.

"You looking for a new gun?"

"I like my Ruger," I said as I turned onto Hamilton. "But, I was looking at Woody's H & K a couple of weeks ago and I really liked it."

"Would this fall under my husbandly duties?" Hal asked as he flashed me a wolfish grin.

"I think that you like being my husband a little too much, Hal," I said with a laugh as I pulled up outside of Sunny's.

"It's such a hardship," Hal said with a laugh.

We met up in front of my Bronco and Hal grabbed my hand as we walked into the store. I had a feeling that I was going to get a call from my mother in about twenty minutes asking me when I was going to inform her that I had gotten married. I got a little nauseas at that thought. I was slowly pushing my mother towards alcoholism.

Hal had a great time playing the husband role as we looked at several guns. I took two back into the firing range and finally settled on a Heckler and Koch P30 9mm. It fit great in my hand and it was light and small. I got a special belt clip and a shoulder harness for it as well. There had been a lot of 'Sweetie Pie's and a lot of 'Love Muffin's spoken as we spent nearly an hour in the store.

Twenty minutes later, my cell phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket as we made our way back to RangeMan and looked at the caller I.D. It wasn't the call that I was expecting. It was Ranger.

"Yo," I said as I answered the phone.

"Is there something that you would like to tell me, Babe?"

"I don't know. I've had a pretty busy day," I said trying to hide the smile the in my voice. "I bought a new vehicle. Then, I went and got a new gun. I think that's it."

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"Hal?"

"Is sitting right next to me," I said as I turned onto Haywood.

"Married?"

"Joking."

I sighed and shook my head when Ranger hung up on me. I saw Hal shaking out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at him and he started busting up laughing. I couldn't help but laugh right along with him. It was pretty funny that Ranger had his ear down to the Burg grape vine. He knew a lot more Burg gossip then I did and I knew a lot.

"I'll bet it's all over the office," Hal said once he calmed down. "How pissed was Ranger?"

"Not sure. He hung up on me. Of course, that doesn't really tell me all that much, because he hangs up on me all of the time," I said the last part with a scowl on my face.

We jumped out of the Bronco when we got into the garage and I sat on the hood. It was customary for the guys to come down and inspect my new vehicles while Tank or Ranger installed a GPS unit. Hal walked around the Bronco to make sure that everything looked okay for the Merry Man inspection. It usually took about fifteen minutes for the guys to start rolling out of the elevator and stair well, so I settled in for the wait.

"You want to mess with the guys?" Hal said with a wicked grin as he rounded the vehicle.

I just grinned and shook my head. Hal closed the distance between us quickly and stood between my legs. He ran his hands up my thighs and along my side. He finally rested his hands in my hair and pulled me closer as he tilted my head to the side. I trailed my hands along the same path up Hal's body and laced my fingers around his neck. I felt my shoulder twinge, but I ignored it for the sake of pulling a couple of Merry legs. I'm sure that the from the view of the control room, it would look like Hal had his tongue shoved down my throat. His lips were about a millimeter away from mine.

"Don't laugh," Hal whispered when we heard the elevator ping open and the incoming boot stomping freeze.

My breath caught in my throat because Hal's lips brushed across mine when he spoke. I still hadn't had sex and I thought that I was starting to get into shaky territory with Hal. I'm a woman and, for some bizarre reason, I have the hormones of a teenage male. Go fig! Hal brought one of his hands down my back and rested it on my ass. He slowly pulled me closer so that I was flush against his rock hard body. I may look back at this one day and laugh. However, at the present, I was mortified when a moan escaped my throat as my body brushed up against his.

A split second after I moaned, I heard a collective sharp in take of breath that came from the area over by the elevator. Hal turned towards the elevator as I leaned to the side and we both shouted, "Gotcha!"


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

_A/N: Sorry that this one was a little short._

* * *

"I love you by default because you are my fake husband. But, I swear to God…" I hissed in Hal's ear. "If I wake up in a third world country tomorrow morning… I will find you and kill you."

"Tip…Look in the nearest third world country," Hal hissed back mockingly. "That's where I'll be."

"Don't get pissed at me," I hissed back. "It was your idea!"

"You moaned!"

"Well maybe if my fake husband would put out, then I wouldn't have so much pent up sexual frustration!" I shouted.

The look on Hal's face was priceless. Even though I was mortified at what I had just shouted, it was totally worth it. He gaped at me for a long moment and the turned bright red. I had never seen a Merry man blush before. I would have sold my soul to the devil to have a camera at that very second. I briefly wondered if the security camera had a good angle of Hal's face. Lester's chuckle brought me out of my thoughts.

"How cute," Lester laughed. "Their first fight as a fake married couple."

Ranger and Tank busted up laughing. I swung my eyes towards the small group of guys that had gathered about twenty feet away. When we first looked over at them, I had seen anger in all of their eyes. Especially Ranger. Looks like the last laugh was on us. That pissed me off. A lot. I was quickly in full blown rhino mode. Before I realized what I was doing, I had launched myself off the hood of the Bronco. I felt the overwhelming need to strangle Lester.

Unfortunately, I was caught mid air by Hal's arms. I started kicking and screaming like a mad woman. My fake husband took all of the abuse that I was dishing out without batting an eye. I couldn't reign in my anger. It was like my only thought was to get Lester and beat the hell out of him. I had to do it. The only thing that I could see was Lester's face through a red haze.

"Let me go, Hal!" I shouted as I squirmed in his arms. "You're a dead man, Santos!"

"Calm down, Sugar Pie," Hal said gently.

That got the guys laughing all over again. They were all bent over laughing and I saw Tank and Ranger wipe their eyes. This only fueled my rage. I let out a slew of expletives as I flailed around. Hal tightened his grip around my waist and held on for dear life.

"Watch her shoulder!" Bobby shouted as he moved towards us. "You need to pin her arms."

"Back off, Brown!" I shouted as I kicked my legs out. I felt pain shooting through my shoulder, but I couldn't care about that right now. I still didn't have my hands around Lester's throat.

"Get my medic bag!" Bobby shouted as he tried to get closer to us.

Before I realized what was happening, Bobby lunged at us and knocked us to the ground. Hal quickly pinned me to the ground by my legs and Bobby covered the top half of my body with his. All of my reasoning snapped as I was pinned down. I struggled against the guys as they tried to keep me still. Logic told my to calm down and relax. I wasn't thinking logically at the moment and I started panicking as their grip tightened on me. I felt tears start to burn my eyes as I screamed out for help. Ranger was next to my head in a second and he tried to talk to me. I could hear him telling me to calm down, but I couldn't. Every part of my body was telling me to fight. I felt like they were against me. A huge wave of fear crashed over me and I think that I started hyperventilating.

I felt the prick in my shoulder. Within seconds my vision started to blur and it was getting difficult to move. My throat was raw from screaming and I had to fight to keep my eyes open. I could hear the guys talking around me as Hal and Bobby continued to hold me down. I was slowly drifting off when I heard Ranger's voice.

"What the fuck was that, Brown?"

"I'm not sure," Bobby said quietly. "I think that she finally broke."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

* * *

I know that I should have been in rhino mode when I opened my eyes and looked straight into a set of amber ones. I even went so far as to hold my breath and wait for rhino mode to set in. Instead, I just started seeing black dots due to the lack of oxygen in my brain. I let out the breath that I had been holding as I reached out and stroked the side of Bobby's face. I should be extremely pissed off that he drugged me.

"Please, don't be mad at me," Bobby whispered as he brought his hand up and placed it over mine on the side of his face.

"I don't think that I have the energy to be mad at you right now," I said with a little smile. "What did you shoot me up with? A horse tranquilizer?"

"No. Just a little Haldol," Bobby chuckled.

"You never dole out just a little of anything, Bobby," I said quietly. I removed my hand from his face and rolled on my back to look at the ceiling in my bedroom. I turned my head back over to look at Bobby after a moment. "So…"

"You had a small nervous break down," Bobby said with a huge grin.

"You think that this is funny?"

"No," he said as he quickly sobered. "Break downs are never funny. I thought that you'd just fall apart when it finally happened. I wasn't expecting you to go all foaming at the mouth, raving lunatic on us."

"You knew that this was coming?" I asked as I flew into a sitting position on my bed.

"I saw it coming," Bobby said on a sigh. He started fidgeting and I knew that he was frustrated. He suddenly threw his hands up in the air and shouted, "I couldn't help you!"

I was shocked by Bobby's outburst. He had always been kind of quiet and very in control of his emotions. I finally realized that I was looking at a man who felt like he had let himself down. I reached out to grab his hand but he rolled away from me and got off the bed. Then he just walked out of my room with out a word.

"What was that?" I whispered to myself.

"That's a very confused man." I jumped at the sound of Ram's voice. I hadn't seen him standing in the doorway to my closet.

My hand flew to my mouth as I felt my stomach roll over and I booked it for my bathroom. I felt Ram gather my hair up and hold it back as I emptied what little I had in my stomach into the toilet. He momentarily left me when I hit the dry heaves, but quickly returned with a cool wash cloth.

"It's just the after effects of the tranquilizers," Ram whispered as he started wiping me down.

I hadn't even noticed that I was sweating. Ram sat with me in the bathroom until I was certain that I was okay to go back to bed. Ram did his best to try to help me up and get me back top my bed with out killing himself. His ribs were still wrapped up and I know that he was trying to hide his pain. I pulled him into bed with me and snuggled up to him once he laid down.

"What did you mean when you said that Bobby was confused?" I asked once we had gotten comfortable.

"He doesn't know what to do about you," Ram said with a slight shrug and a wince. "The man is head over heels in love with you. But, you are clearly broken, my dear. What ever it was that happened in the garage, he tried to warn us about."

"What do you mean he warned you guys?" I asked as I tilted my head back to look at Ram's profile.

"All of the signs were there, Bomber," Ram said as he stared up at the ceiling. "Your reaction to your apartment exploding. Ending a four year relationship with cop on a whim. The boxing ring. Not letting us take care of Sugar. Then there was the whole fucked up situation with Lester. Plus, you yelled at Ranger. One thing on its own isn't a big thing. Put them all together…"

"Everyone thinks that I've lost my mind," I said quietly.

"We're all just worried about you, Bomber. That's why Bobby and Binkie got you out of RangeMan. They were trying to help you," Ram said as he turned and looked at me. "Bobby feels like he failed you."

I chewed on Ram's words for a while as we laid on my bed. Is it possible to lose it and not even know? Ram was right about all of it. I guess I knew that something was wrong. I laid there and tried to think about a time when everything seemed to be okay. The only thing that I could come up with was when I had sat in the hospital next to Ranger's bed after he had been shot by Scrogg.

I felt my natural urge to bolt start to rise in my stomach. More then anything, I really just wanted space to think about what my next move would be. I slowly climbed off of the bed and walked over to the closet. I tied my hair up in a bun as I stared at my clothes. I found a tank and a pair of jeans and threw them on. Ignoring the fact that Ram was still fifteen feet away on my bed. Another sign of faulty wiring? I asked myself. A year ago, I would have bolted into the bathroom and not come out until Ram was gone. One more thing to think about. I opened my sock drawer and saw the paper that I had put in there my first night here. I pulled the paper out and read it for the thousandth time.

"Where's my Bronco?" I asked as I walked over to the side of the bed that Ram was on.

"Down stairs. Hal drove it over for you when they brought you back here," Ram said as he looked up at me in confusion.

I handed him the piece of paper that I had been holding on to for four months. It was an e-mail that I had gotten out of the blue right after the Dickie fiasco. I had printed it up and kept it tucked away. He took the paper and read it slowly. He finally looked up at me and said, "You're leaving."

I shook my head yes. I couldn't find my voice when I saw the hurt in Ram's eyes.

"You know that Ranger will kill you if you do this, right?" Ram said as he shot me an incredulous look.

"It's a legit job offer," I said as I took the e-mail back and slid it into my purse that sat on my dresser.

"What about the legit job offer that has always been on the table at RangeMan?"

"I need to get away to gain perspective. I don't expect that any of you guys will understand that," I said as I moved over to my closet and pulled out a duffle bag. I started throwing clothes in the bag as a calm started to settle through my body. This decision felt right for once. "I'll be fine, Ram."

"You'll call me if you need to get out?" he asked as he climbed off the bed and walked over to me.

"You know that I will," I said as I patted his shoulder while I threw my duffle bag over my good shoulder. "I'll call you when I get out to Deal."

"You better," Ram said as he pulled me into his arms. "What should I tell Bobby?"

"That I'll be back," I said as I smiled up at him.

I ran my fingers lightly across Bobby's closed door as I walked down the hall. I could hear Binkie snoring as I passed his room. I took a moment to go into his room and kiss his forehead. I was really going to miss him. He always made time for me.

I left Ram sitting in the living room and walked out the door. I got on the elevator and road it down to the lobby. I smiled and waved at the camera that watched over the lobby. I heard my cell phone ring, but I chose to ignore it. I knew who was calling and I didn't think that I'd be able to leave if I had to hear any of their voices. They'd all ask me to stay and I would for them.

The only problem with that is that I've been going through my life doing things for others and not really for myself. I would have loved working full time for RangeMan. What's not to love about the idea of never having to roll around in garbage? But that would also mean having to be near all of the people who loved me the way that I was. The way that they had started to influence, whether they knew it or not. I needed to find Stephanie.

I climbed into my Bronco, with full knowledge of the GPS tracker that Ranger or Tank would have already installed, and headed out of Trenton. I pulled out my cell phone as I headed out on 195. Four missed calls and four voice messages. I pulled the paper out of my purse and dialed the number on the bottom of the page. It rang four times before it was answered.

"I'm coming," I said into the phone and then hung up.

I smiled to myself as I set my life in this new direction. I never would have imagined that I would ever be doing this, but I had saved that e-mail for a reason. It just took a mild nervous break down for me to finally use it. I popped in my U2 CD as I headed for the coast and jammed the whole way there.

I pulled up to the gate just outside the large pink stucco wall. I smiled and gave a little finger wave to the security camera. The gate slowly swung open and I pulled up the circular drive and stopped at the bottom of the steps that led to the front door. I climbed out of my Bronco and turned as the door to the house opened. I smiled up at the man that stood in the doorway.

"It took you long enough," he said with a crooked smile that showed perfect white teeth against his Mediterranean skin.

"I'm sorry, Alexander," I said with a smile as I started walking up the steps. "Traffic was a bitch."

_The End._

_For now…_


End file.
